Area Rugs: Terminology (Continued) Karabagh
The Karabagh district lies southeast of the kazak district in the southern part of the Caucasus, along the border with Iran. Although many different designs are woven in rugs from Karabagh, repeated boteh, single and multiple medallions, bouquets of roses, Herati and prayer deisgns are most common.
Kashkuli
An element of the larger nomadic Qashqai (or ghashghai) tribe of southern Iran famous for the quality of their rugs.
Kashan
Kashan designs are renowned for their exceptional delicacy of design and refinement of execution. The most typical examples features swirling vines and florettes, elegantly poised and balanced in their arrangement.
Kashmir
The name for the fancy village carpets made of silk or mercerized cotton in the Islamic region of the India. Kashmir rugs are woven with a Persian knot and mimic the design of newer urban rugs from Iran with an emphasis for Indian tatses for brilliant color. Coloration used in these rugs is unique to India.
Kazak
The people of Kazakhstan and the Turkish style rugs of that region.
Kerman
Generally featuring a continuous design of small flowers, Kerman rugs were historically distinguished by delicacy and rfined balance of their color palettes.
Kilim
Any pile-less rug in which the pattern is formed by the colored weft strings being wrapped around the warp. In Farsi (or Persian) the word is Gileem. The word is also used to describe the pile-less side of nomadic bags and saddles.
Kilim (Kelim)
A reversible flat-weave rug, similar to a Dhurrie but more tightly woven. These most often are woven in wool.
Knot
There are two basic types of knots used in oriental rugs:
A) Persian Senneh
A fine asymmetrical knot used in fine urban and complex tribal rugs. Observers will notice that these rugs have a light and dark side.
B) Turkish Ghiordes
The symmetrical knot used in most tribal rugs. It makes for a higher pile heavy wearing style of rug. Chinese carved carpets also feature this knot.
Knot count
In making hand made, hand knotted rugs, each piece of yarn is knotted through the back of the rug as it is incorporated into the rug. The higher the number of knots per square inch, the higher the quality of the rug.
Kurd
A tribal people who live in eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and the Kurdistan region of Iran. They produce what are commonly thought to be the finest tribal style rugs in the world. Kurdish rugs are a passion among rug collectors and connoisseurs and bring the highest prices.
Line Count
The number of horizontal knots in a linear foot of rug. As with knot count, the higher the number, generally the higher the quality of the rug. This measurement is commonly used for judging the quality of Chinese oriental rugs.
Lur
Formerly nomadic people of south western Iran. They are renowned for the quality of their rugs and kilim.
Machine made rugs (or carpets)
A rug that is produced using an automated loom for yarn placement and weaving. Fringe on these rugs may either be sewn into the rug or sewn by hand later. Often made of polypropylene, acrylic or wool, these rugs generally are less expensive than hand made rugs.
Mahal
A traditional Persian design typified by scrolling and stylized vine, tendril, and floral motifs in the field.
Mahi
One of the most formal and imposing of the classic Persian designs, the Mahi generally features an elegant oval center medallion surrounded by concentric and highly ornamental design fields.
Memling Gul
A stepped hood polygon motifs named after the 15th century Flemish artist Hans Memling, who used rugs with this motif in many of his paintings. These guls are used in Caucasian, Turkish, and northwest Persian rugs.
Merigeh
The weavers in the town, located south of Tabriz, specialize in the production of inexpensive silk rugs. The medallion design with spandrels is the most frequently woven.
Natural rug
Often refers to an ivory or earth toned rug where the texture of the rug is the main feature. These rugs are usually made of sisal, jute, or wool.
New Zealand Wool
The Romney and Penendel sheep raised in New Zealand produce the long staple, high lanolin wool considered to be the premium fiber for high quality rugs and floor covering.
Node
One loop of a loop knot around a warp seen from the back of the rug.
Oltenian
A type of Kilim that is considered to be the finest of the Romanian Kilims. Their designs usually include elaborately curving flower and leaf sprays.
Oriental
Traditional word that means of the Eastern World or the land found by ship when Africa has been circled, it has come to more accurately describe characteristics of Turkey, Iran, India, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Pakistan. The modern definition excludes characteristics of China and Indochina now classified as Asian.
Ottoman
A powerful Turkish dynasty that ruled most of extended Persia From 1290 to 1924. It was named for its founder Osman.
Overcasting
A treatment of selvages where yarn is wrapped or interwoven with yarn that is not part of the foundation weft. The process is also known as serging.
Ply
Two or more yarns spun together.
Polypropylene
A petroleum based synthetic material which is often heat set to guarantee vibrant color, long lasting beauty, easy maintenance and long lasting superior performance.
Prayer rug
This design has an arch at the top of the field. The arch may be either geometric or curvilinear, depending on where the rug was woven. These rugs are woven throughout Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, The Caucasus and Turkestan.
Qashqai (or Ghashghai)
Name of a former politically confederation of southern Iranian nomadic tribes mainly: Shesh Boluki, Kashkuli Bozorg, Amaleh, Derrehshuri, Farsi Madan, and Kashkuli Kuchek. The region trading center for these tribes is Shiraz. Most Gabeh carpets sold in the west are of Qashqai origin.
Salor
A Turkmen tribe famous for the quality of its rugs that has been virtually wiped out by military conquests. Modern era rugs from this group are rare and highly prized among collectors.
Saryk
A Turkmen tribal people known for the quality of their older rugs. Newer units are of dubious construction and design.
Savonerie
The name given to French piled carpets made until 1890 that look similar to Persian Kermans. These rugs were more foot friendly than their cousin the Aubuson and had an impressionist quality many find very appealing.
Sefavid
A Persian dynasty remembered for Shahs Tasmasp and Abbas who were great patrons of arts and ambassadors for Persian rug weaving to the rest of the world. They are credited for the enduring international popularity of Iranian stlye Rugs.
Selvedge
The edge warps of a rug and the foundation weft around those warps.
Serouk (or Sarough)
The factory woven carpets woven in the vicinity of Serouk in Iranian Azerbaijan are some of the most beautiful ever made. Most were manufactured with intent to export to the United States. They were frequently found in the lobbies of fine hotels and in American living rooms in the post World War Two era. Serouk rugs are often remind people of their grandparents or a relative visited during the holidays.
Shah Abbas
Design element that features swirling feathers and Lotuses named for the Shah who commissioned its design. Its found in most modern urban Persian style rugs.
Shasavan
The once powerful confederation of Turkic speaking tribes living in Azerbaijan. They are decimated by military losses and now mostly make Kilms.
Soumak
A heavy flat woven rug made with a weft wrapping technique. This technique is also used in commercial rugs that are designed to look like antiques. Most traditional Soumak are made in the Caucasus.
Sozani Kilim
In Farsi Sozani translates as Laundry Bag. They are heavy flat woven carpets similar to soumak with an additional embroidered design on the surface. they have been the rage in recent years with the increased popularity of tribal carpets. Sozani are the most exotic type of flat woven tribal rugs and are even made in silk.
Spandrels
The corner design of a rug.
Staple
The average length of fibers in a yarn.
Symmetric Knot
A knot tied on two warps; also known as the Giordes or Turkish knot.
Talim
A special notation used to record and reproduce the designs of Kashmir rugs.
Tapestry weave
Any variety of weaves where the pattern is created by ground wefts that do not run from end to end.
Tekke
The largest Turkmen tribe in the 19th century thought to make the finest rugs made in the Turkmen style. The Tekke rugs are among those most highly prized by collectors.
Tribal rug
The term is often used interchangeably with Gabbeh, to describe a primitive looking or Southwestern looking rug. this look is very popular and is available at all price points.
Tufted Rug
A mechanically assisted technique for manufacturing rugs in which tufts of wool are punched through base fabric to color in a silk screen design painted on the base. The back of the base is then painted with thick latex glue and covered with a sacking material. Mostly this method is used in China and India to produce inexpensive versions of their hand knotted rugs.
Turret gul
An octagonal motif with spiked projections that point both inward and outward from its rim. A smaller octagon appears at the center of the gul.
Vegetable dyes
Dyes made from plants and bark. They produce unusual shades of blue, green, and other colors. They contain no synthetic chemicals and , due their natural ingredients, tend to fade faster than chrome dyes.
Verneh
A Shahsavan type of soumak rug featuring interlocking birds.
Village Rug
A rug made by a variety of people working on the clock on a loom located in the center of a village. Usually some form of day care is provided. Most large size tribal carpets are made this way.
Warp
parallel yarns running the length of the rug that creates the initial structure which is then interlaced with horizontal wefts.
Washing
A chemical solution used after weaving to soften a rug’s colors and increases its luster.
Weft
The yarns woven horizontally through the warps.
Whip Stitch
A stitch used to over case and lock the final weft in a rug ends.
William Morris
The English design firm named for its founder that specialized in adopting middle eastern designs to western tastes. Most of their beautiful designs were used in institutional settings like Grand Hotels and Government Buildings. They actually made Persian style rugs in London from 1890 to 1914 with labor imported from Pakistan.
Wilton Loom
An automated loom used for machine made design carpets. It offers flexibility in color placement and design, including the ability to cross weave rugs.
Wilton Rug
A machine loomed carpet with limited color palette. Most today are made of synthetic fiber and have dubious durability. Well made wool wiltons can last as long as 15 years or more. Most Wiltons are made in time sharing factories that manufacture wiltons for many companies at the same time. Modern wiltons are the first type of rug to be computerized and automated.
Worsting
A process by which the longest fibers are harvested from the raw wool. These select fibers are then spun into a “twist” yarn that is finer and tighter than ordinary yarns.
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