


	Abadeh Abadeh rugs have developed a style entirely their own. The designs used have been adopted from various tribal groups who made their summer camps in the area. The most common is that of a red geometric medallion, which expands to fill a large portion of the field. The lozenge-shaped medallion contains a small central geometric rosette, which is also repeated in the four large central corner spandrels. Stylized tree of life motifs emanate from the center rosette and the spandrels. Numerous small geometric motifs are interspersed throughout the field and medallion. The primary colors are red, blue, rust, white, small amount of yellow and green for the small motifs in the field. Another design used in Abadeh rugs in Zil-I-Sultan design. Characterized by vases of roses repeated in rows throughout the filed, this design is usually woven on an ivory background. The warp and weft threads are of cotton. The wool used for the pile is an excellent quality and these Rugs are quite durable.
	Afshar Afshar rugs are woven by nomads and villagers residing between the cities of Shiraz, Kerman, and Yazd in southeastern Iran. These rugs, as most nomad rugs, are generally small. They are made in sizes of up to 5x7 feet, and occasionally larger sizes. Afshar rugs are similar to Caucasian rugs in style and color. The pattern is usually geometric. Some common designs consist of multiple connected medallions in diamond shape, single medallions in diamond, hexagon or octagon shape, or a huge hexagon medallion almost covering the entire field. All-over gul farangi (roses), botehs, and chicken-like motifs (Afshar-e-Morghi in Persian) are also common. Another common design is a floral medallion and corner and a vase at each end of the rug. The common colors include dark red, reddish brown, brown, dark reddish-blue, dark blue, burnt orange, ocher, and camel; white, ivory and yellow are used to create contrast. The symmetric (Turkish) knot is mainly used; however, the asymmetric (Persian) knot is also sometimes used. The foundation is often wool, but cotton foundation is also seen in more recent rugs.
	Ardabil The motifs used in Ardabil rugs, similar to Caucasian rugs, are predominantly geometric in pattern and the most common layouts tend to be medallions, multiple connected diamond-shaped medallions, and all-over octagonal shapes; however, the borders of Ardabil rugs have more motifs and objects woven in them than Caucasian rugs. The colors are also lighter. The rugs come in background colors of turquoise, buff, cream, navy and light green. Ardabil is a town located in the province of Azerbaijan in northwestern Iran. Ardabil is a few miles south of the border of the country, Azerbaijan, in the Caucasus region. Rug weaving has a long history in Ardabil. The name Ardabil is associated with the well-known Ardabil rug woven in the 16th century now in Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England. During the reign of Safavid Dynasty in the 16th and 17th centuries similar to other rug weaving centers in Iran, rug weaving was at its peak in Ardabil; however, during the reign of Qajar Dynasty (1794-1925) it reached its lowest point. It has been approximately 80 years since this industry has begun production again in a limited scale. Ardabil weavers from 80 years ago and especially during World War II, when rug weaving in Shirvan and other rug weaving areas of the Caucasus had stopped, borrowed from very successful Caucasian designs and employed them in their own rugs.
	Azarbayjan Azarbayjan province is located in the northwest of Iran and covers an area of approximately 47,830 sq. km. Azarbayjan rugs are made in many towns and villages in that province such as : Ahar, Bostan Abad, Bonab, Tabriz, Jolfa, Sarab, Shabestar, Kalibar, Maraqeh, Marand, Malekan, Mianeh, Haris, and Hashtrood. Most of their rugs are geometric and casual. The historical city of Tabriz is the reputed city of this province culturally and politically, even in the economic and commercial fields. The said province has common borders with the Republics of Azarbayjan, Armenia and Nakhjavan. A fine network of road and traffic connect East Azarbayjan to various parts of the country and also to the neighboring countries.
	Bakhtiari Bakhtiari rugs are woven in the province of Chahar Mahal-and-Bakhtiari located in west central Iran. These rugs are mainly woven by villagers and to a lesser extent nomads of the area. The pattern of Bakhtiari rugs tends to be mostly geometric, sometimes semi-geometric, and seldom curvilinear. What distinguishes Bakhtiari rugs from other rugs is that they are colorful and bright; their design also tends to be very crowded. The commonly used colors include deep reds, bright blues, navy, green, brown, ocher, and beige. The most common Bakhtiari design is a paneled garden design which consists of square, rectangular, diamond, or hexagon compartments filled with a floral motif such as a willow tree, a cypress tree, a bush, a grapevine, a vase containing flowers, or a bird sitting on a branch. Sometimes one motif repeats in several compartments; other times a motif is only seen in one compartment. Every compartment has a different motif and color from its neighboring compartments. It is possible to see the above motifs in all-over layouts without the panels as well. In addition to the famous panelled design, large medallions resembling Heriz medallions, vase, all-over boteh, and tree-of-life can also be found in Bakhtiari rugs. Runners especially with vertical stripes of small boteh are common as well.
	Bijar Bijar rugs are mainly woven in the town of Bijar and its surrounding villages. Bijar is located in the province of Kurdistan in northwest of Iran. Bijar rugs are mostly considered village rugs because whether woven in the town of Bijar itself or its surrounding villages, they are woven inside houses rather than workshops. The pattern of Bijar rugs is a combination of curvilinear and geometric with curvilinear being dominant. The favorite colors of Bijar weavers consist of navy, cherry red, brown, light blue, pink, yellow, ocher, orange, beige and ivory. The symmetrical (Turkish) knot is mainly used although the asymmetrical (Persian) knot is seen as well. One of the most common motifs used in Bijar rugs is the herati motif. This motif can be seen in both the all-over and medallion layouts. The signature design of Bijar rugs is the herati medallion-and-corner, which has a very large hexagon-shaped medallion usually with pendants. Bijar rugs are dense, heavy, and exceptionally durable. Since the warp and the weft strands are so firmly pressed together, if new Bijar rugs are folded, their foundation may break. Therefore, they should not be folded; they should be rolled.
	Esfahan Esfahan is located in western central Iran. Esfahan rugs have been and still remain very famous worldwide. Since Esfahan has been a capital city of many rulers including Shah Abbas of Safavid Dynasty, many mosques, palaces and other great monuments have been built in Esfahan, especially during the reign of Shah Abbas in the 16th and 17th centuries when Esfahan was a great center of art. These buildings have greatly influenced the rug designs of Esfahan. One very common design is based on a large round medallion resembling the tile (mosaic) work of the interior of the dome of the Sheikh Lotfollah's Mosque. Other designs include Shah Abbasi medallion and corner, islimi medallion and corner, trees with animals, Shah Abbasi all-over, geometric medallion and corner, and pictorials of people and nature, sometimes based on Safavid miniatures. Many colors are used in an Esfahan rug; seldom less than 15 colors are used in one rug. The colors most commonly used are turquoise, navy, red, beige and pale mushroom. The background and the borders are visibly divided by usually two to five minor borders.
	Farahan Farahan is a village located in the province of Markazi in central Iran. Older Farahan rugs are very popular in the West. Most Farahan rugs have a geometric pattern although some curvilinear rugs are woven in Farahan as well. These high quality rugs are mainly woven by the asymmetrical knot on cotton foundation.The rugs from this area can be divided into two types. The first type is characterized by an all-over layout, usually an endless repeat, with motifs or designs such as the herati, gul hannai, boteh or mina-khani. Herati, being the most popular motif, has many variations and the boteh motifs are usually woven inside hexagon-shape panels.The second type is characterized by its medallion layout. The medallions can be large hexagon, diamond, or oval shapes with large pendants. The corners are so long that they either almost meet or do meet near the center of each border on each side of the rug. Two common motifs used in the field of these rugs are the herati and gul hannai.
	Ghashghai Ghashghai rugs are made by the Ghashghai tribeswomen of the Fars province in southwestern Iran. The Ghashghai are a tribal federation of different ethnic backgrounds comprising of Arabs, Kurds, Lurs, and Turks who sell their rugs through Shiraz, the capital city of the province. Ghashghai rugs are among the most beautiful and popular nomadic rugs made today. Ghashghai designs are bold, colorful, and almost always geometric. The influence of Turkmen and Caucasian styles can clearly be seen in their designs. One characteristic that shows the Caucasian influence and helps in identifying Ghashghai rugs is that shapes are commonly superimposed. Some of their designs include boteh, diamond panels, diamond or hexagon shapes, floral, and animal (birds are common) or human motifs in a repeating all-over layout. However, the most common designs have a medallion layout. Medallions come in diamond, hexagon or three vertically connected diamond shapes. An interesting characteristic of Ghashghai medallions is that sometimes a smaller diamond or square shape inside the central medallion is surrounded by four hooks. Sometimes, this characteristic can be seen in all-over motifs as well. Ghashghais also weave a special type of Pictorial called gabbeh. Gabbeh rugs are decorated with small geometric caricature-like animals, birds and human figures which are sparsely placed on the field. The pile on these rugs is clipped very high. The Ghashghai also weave kelims, bags, and saddlebags. Although they weave a variety of sizes, larger size rugs are not common. Similar to other nomads, Ghashghais mainly weave rugs for their daily use or as dowry. They weave their rugs on horizontal looms with wool foundation. However, Ghashghis who have settled in villages and towns make rugs on cotton foundations.
	Qum Qum rugs are woven in workshops of Qum, a city of northwest central Iran. Since rug production did not begin in Qum until about seventy years ago in 1930s, Qum doesn't have any traditional designs of its own. Qum weavers prefer to weave the most favorable designs of other Persian weaving groups and sometimes Caucasian weaving groups and adjusting these designs to their own taste. It is possible for Qum rugs to be mistaken with Kashan or Esfahan rugs. However, they will not be mistaken with Tabriz rugs because Qum, Kashan and Esfahan rugs are woven with the asymmetric (Persian) knot and Tabriz rugs are woven with the symmetric (Turkish) knot. All silk, part silk/part wool, and kork (fine wool taken from the belly of sheep) Qum rugs are very well-known in Iran and abroad. The foundation of Qum rugs could be either cotton or silk. Most Qum rugs have curvilinear patterns, and very elaborate floral motifs with intricate leaves and vines. As mentioned above the designs are varied, taken from different weaving groups. The colors used in Qum rugs are as diverse as the designs. The overall appearance could either be pale with background and border colors such as ivory, champagne, turquoise and light green, or it could be dark with background colors such as dark blue and even sometimes red.
	Hamedan Hamedan is the capital city of the northwestern province of Hamedan in Iran. This city is more of a marketplace for rugs made in villages and towns in the vicinity than a rug production center. Sometimes the rugs are marketed under their village name, but often they are sold as Hamedan. Although each village or group of villages has its own distinctive designs, they all have certain characteristics in common. The majority of Hamedan rugs have a geometric pattern. The most common designs consist of medallion-and-corner, and all-over boteh or herati. Diamond and hexagon medallions are common. Hamedan rugs come in a variety of sizes including runners; however, very large rugs are uncommon. Hamedan rugs are woven with the symmetrical (Turkish) knot on cotton foundation with the exception of some older rugs which have wool foundation. The pile is wool; sometimes camel hair is used in combination with wool. Hamedan rugs usually have long pile and their weave is very compact because they are single-wefted. Single-wefted refers to rugs that are constructed by passing one strand of weft through the warp strands after each row of knots as opposed to passing two or more weft strands. In such a construction, since there are fewer strands of weft used, there are more rows of knots, creating a more compact weave.
	Heriz Heriz is a city located in northwestern Iran and near the city of Tabriz (a major rug-weaving center in Iran). Heriz rugs are very famous worldwide. They have their own very unique style and are easily distinguishable from other styles. Their most famous design consists of a very large diamond medallion or a star-like floral medallion with eight petals and corners very similar to the centerpiece medallion. These corners are sometimes square or rectangular. The pattern is almost always geometric. Usually the background is very crowded; however, sometimes they have a plain background, especially the older rugs. Although not as common, some Heriz rugs have an all-over layout often with geometric floral motifs such the shah abbasi and less frequently curvilinear floral motifs. The favorite colors of Heriz rug weavers consist of brownish red, light and dark pink, light and dark blue and ivory. Blue is normally used to add contrast. Today, Heriz style is copied by India, Pakistan, China and Romania. Other market trade names such as Bakhshayesh, Mehraban, Serapi, or Gorevan are also given to Heriz rugs. Serapi is a trade name given to better quality versions of Heriz rugs thought to have been woven before 1900. Such rugs are sometimes called Heriz Serapi .
	Joshaghan Joshagan rugs are made in the town of Joshagan and the nearby villages in the province of Esfahan in north central Iran. Joshaghan rugs are woven on cotton foundation with wool pile and the use of the Persian (asymmetrical) knot. Because of their high quality and limited production, they are considered very good investments and are relatively expensive. The higher quality items are sometimes sold under the names of the neighboring villages, Meimeh or Murcecar. Joshaghan rugs are woven in both village and workshop settings. Joshaghan's signature design consists of geometric floral motifs arranged in the shape of diamonds. This design may be woven in an all-over or medallion-and-corner layout. Arrangements In the case of the medallion-and-corner, the medallion itself is also a diamond and the corners are straight lines creating triangular corners. Both the medallion and the corners are also filled with diamond shape floral arrangements. The background color of Joshaghan rugs could be either deep red or deep blue, and the motifs are woven in colors of dark blue, light blue, white, green, beige, red and yellow. The border is usually beige or blue.
	Kashan Kashan rugs are woven in workshops of the city of Kashan, in north central Iran. Kashan style, like most Persian styles, is copied by other areas of Iran as well as other countries such as India, China and Pakistan. Their pattern is almost always curvilinear. One traditional design is an elongated diamond-shaped and lobed medallion with floral (usually Shah Abbasi) pendants. This design is one type of the Shah Abbasi medallion. The entire rug including the medallion itself, the corners (in the case of medallion-and-corner), the borders, and the field are filled with Shah Abbasi and islimi motifs. It is common for this traditional design to have a navy medallion with similar corners and border in a red background or vise versa. A Form of Shah Abbasi Motif Another frequently seen design is all-over Shah Abbasi. Other designs include vase, hunting and pictorial. The field is usually covered with palmettes and arabesques. The common background colors are navy, rich red, beige and ivory. Common design colors include red, blue, turquoise, ocher, beige, white, brown and occasionally green. The asymmetric (Persian) knot is used in Kashan rugs woven in Kashan.
	Karajeh Small-size and runner carpets from the Iranian village of Heriz are known as Karajeh. Heriz is a large city located near the border between Iran and Azerbaijan. Roughly forty miles south and west of Tabriz lies a group of about thirty villages, the largest and most important of which is Heriz. The region became an important center for carpet production for export in the 19th century and its importance continues in modern times. Before the region started producing large, geometric carpets for export, there was a small group of workshop owners from Tabriz who set up looms in the late 18th and early 19th centuries to produce very fine, intricate silk carpets. Today, those that have survived are coveted by collectors and museums worldwide. The Heriz design is the most popular Persian design in the west. The geometric pattern is the most desirable design in the United States and has been for the past three decades.
	Khorasan The province of Khorassan, located in the northeast of Iran is the largest province of the country; covering one-fifth of the area that is 303.000 sq. km.. The townships of this province are Esfarayen, Bardestan, Bojnurd, Birjand, Taibad, Torbat Jaam, Torbat Heydarieh, Chenaran, Khaaf, Daregaz, Sabzevar, Sarakhs, Shirvan, Tabas, Ferdows, Fariman, Qaenat, Quchan, Kashmar, Gonabad, Mashad, Mahbandar and Nayshabur. Mashad being the capital city, where the shrine of his Holiness Imam Reza (AS) the eighth Imam of the Shiite sect is situated. This province can be divided into two sections regarding its natural features: The northern section which has a mountainous terrain, though its lower plains are suitable for agricultural purpose and animal husbandry .The southern section comprises of low hills and plains with poor vegetation.
	Kerman Kerman rugs are woven in the city of Kerman in southeastern Iran and several small towns and villages in the vicinity. The pattern of Kerman rugs is almost always curvilinear with the exception of the famous Kerman pictorials which fall under the pictorial category of pattern. Kerman rugs are woven in a variety of intricate designs from cartoons. The more modern designs mainly developed for the Western market in the late 19th century are either Aubussons or Koran (Quran) medallion-and-corners with an open field. The open field is actually an important distinguishing characteristic of these modern Kerman rugs. The traditional Kerman designs consist of Shah Abbasi medallion-and-corner, all-over floral, all-over boteh, striped designs, paneled garden, tree-of-life, prayer, vase, garden, hunting, animal, and the famous elaborate pictorials using both Persian and European themes. Usually 15 to 30 colors are used in one rug. The two most common colors used in antique and semi-antique rugs are rich red and red-blue. More recent rugs tend to have pastel colors such as lime green, pink, ivory and gray-blue. Turquoise, orange, champagne and beige are also among the commonly used colors. Kerman rugs are woven with the asymmetric (Persian) knot.
	Mahal Mahal is a village located in the province of Markazi in central Iran. Mahal rugs are made in and around this village. They are woven with good quality wool on cotton foundation with the asymmetrical knot and basically loosely woven. Mahal rugs can be geometric or curvilinear in pattern. Mahal rugs come in the two types of traditional and nomadic. The traditional designs consist of herati, boteh, or gul hannai motifs in either an all-over or medallion layout. The medallion layout could have a hexagon, oval, diamond, round or angular floral-shape medallion. The most interesting traditional design is a medallion-and-corner layout which consists of geometric yet very naturalistic floral motifs. Nomadic Mahal's are mostly made with all-over design. Sometimes these rugs have an open field similar to modern Kermans. The main colors used in the traditional designs consisted of red, blue, burnt orange, ocher and champagne. The main colors used in Nomdic Mahal are rich reds and blues. Sometimes the motifs are outlined with a lighter red, light yellow or turquoise to create contrast between the background and the motifs, especially in the case of the open field design.
	Malayer Malayer rugs are woven in the town of Malayer and its surrounding villages. Malayer is located in the northwestern province of Hamedan in Iran. The pattern of Malayer rugs is mainly geometric. The designs consist of all-over boteh, all-over herati, zel-i-sultan, diamond or hexagon shape medallions, and multi-sided vertically connected medallions. These rugs are usually decorated with small motifs. The medallions often have boteh or herati filler motifs and the background of the rug is decorated with herati or boteh motifs. Sometimes the medallion is filled with herati and the background with boteh or vice versa. Saruq & Farahan Geometric medallion-and-corner designs similar to Farahan and traditional Saruks are also common. These rugs are decorated with larger, more floral motifs. The most common background colors used in Malayer rugs are dark blue, rust red and cream, and light blue, red, ocher and burnt orange are used to create the motifs. Malayer rugs are rarely woven larger than 4'x 7'. Both the asymmetrical (Persian) and symmetrical (Turkish) knot are used depending on the area. The foundation is cotton, and the weft strands are frequently dyed in blue.
	Mashad Mashad is the capital city of the province of Khorasan in northeastern Iran. This holy city is famous for the shrine of the eighth Shiite Imam, Imam Reza. Another factor which has given Mashad great significance, is its geographical positioning in eastern Iran. In addition to being a rug-weaving center, Mashad is also a trade center for the rugs of its neighboring villages and tribes such as Baluchis and Turkomans of Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Majority of Mashad rugs are woven in workshops; others are made on home-based looms in surrounding villages. Mashad mostly produces large rugs. The majority of Mashad rugs are woven with the asymmetrical (Persian) knot although the symmetrical (Turkish) knot is found. The pattern of Mashad rugs is almost always curvilinear. The most common Mashad design is shah abbasi medallion-and-corner with large pendants. This design is sometimes similar to the Kashan shah abbasi medallion-and-corner with a diamond shape medallion and a background filled with shah abbasi motifs, and other times it is similar to Kerman Koran medallion-and-corner design with a plainer background; however, the medallion tends to be more circular than Kerman medallions. One unique characteristic, which helps differentiate Mashad rugs from Kashan rugs, but not necessarily from Kerman rugs, is their elongated corners. Another characteristic in this design which can help distinguish Mashad rugs from other rugs, but it makes them even more similar to Kashan rugs, is the weavers' almost exclusive use of deep red for the background and dark blue for the medallion, corners, and the border.
	Nain The city of Nain is located in the central Iranian province of Esfahan. Nain rugs are woven with the asymmetrical (Persian) knot inside both workshops and homes, and are sold through the bazaars of the capital city of the province also named Esfahan. Although the majority of Nain rugs have either wool pile, or wool pile with silk highlights, all-silk Nain rugs are woven as well. The foundation of Nain rugs can be either cotton or silk. Nain rugs are known worldwide for their fine weave and extremely detailed curvilinear designs. They are similar to Esfahan rugs in both design and construction. The common designs consist of star medallions, shah abbasi and islimi medallion-and-corner, all-over shah abbasi, mina-khani, and paneled (often curved panels). It is common to see floral (mainly shah abbasi) and animal motifs (frequently birds) inside the panels and even inside the compartments of the mina-khani. The shah abbasi motif is the most common border motif. One distinguishing characteristic of Nain rugs is their restrained yet elegant palette. The colors used in Nain rugs tend to be muted rather than bright. White, ivory, beige, buff, light gray, light blue, turquoise, navy, light brown, camel, and burgundy are among the most frequently used colors with beige and navy being the dominant background colors. Red and green are also used but to a much lesser extent.
	Najafabad Najafabad, is located in Central of Iran. It is near Isfahan. Najafabad produces beautiful handmade rugs that resembling the legendary Isfahan rugs. Najafabad rugs are of excellent. The color schemes vary from different shades of reds to blues to ivory. They have the traditional medallion patterns and the pattern is usually close to Isfahan or Kashan.
	Ravar The name Ravar is used to describe two types of rugs. The first type are rugs woven in the town of Ravar, located in northeast of Kerman, which produces rugs mainly in the Kerman style. One special Ravar design is called the 'thousand flower.' As its name implies, flowers cover the entire field of the rug. The name Ravar or Lavar (a corrupted version of Ravar used in the west) is also used to describe the highest quality rugs made in and around Kerman, whether or not actually made in the town of Ravar itself.
	Sarab Sarab is located in the province of Azerbaijan in northwestern Iran. Sarab is famous for good quality runners of 10 to 20 feet long and 3 feet wide and also doormat size rugs. Sarab weavers also weave small rugs of about zar-o-nim (3x5 ft) and do-zar (about 4.5x7 ft). The pattern of Sarab rugs is almost always geometric. The predominant layout is a long medallion and corners. The corners look similar to the medallion. Many times medallions are hex-column, meaning two or three hexagons attached to each other. The borderline of the medallion is zigzagged. The background is usually in camel hair left un-dyed or could occasionally be blue or red. The motifs are woven in red, brown, blue or buff. The background is usually not very crowded.
	Saruq Saruq is a village located in the province of Markazi in central Iran. Saruq rugs are made in and around this village in both village and workshop settings. In general these well-known rugs are of very high quality. They are woven with good quality wool on cotton foundation with the asymmetrical knot. Saruq rugs can be geometric or curvilinear in pattern. Saruq rugs come in the two types of traditional and American. The traditional designs consist of herati, boteh, or gul hannai motifs in either an all-over or medallion layout. The medallion layout could have a hexagon, oval, diamond, round or angular floral-shape medallion. The most interesting traditional design is a medallion-and-corner layout which consists of geometric yet very naturalistic floral motifs. After World War I, the American Saruq design of disconnected floral sprays which seem to be branching out from a floral medallion or medallion-like center became very popular. Sometimes these rugs have an open field similar to modern Kermans. Saruq weavers also weave beautiful prayer/vase combination rugs, which tend to be as curvilinear as the American Saruks. The main colors used in the traditional designs consisted of red, blue, burnt orange, ocher and champagne. The main colors used in American Saruks are rich reds and blues. Sometimes the motifs are outlined with a lighter red, light yellow or turquoise to create contrast between the background and the motifs, especially in the case of the open field design. An intense salmon pink called dughi pink is typical of the American Saruks; this color is obtained by adding yogurt or curdled milk to the dye mixture. A mixture of yogurt and water is called Dugh in Persian. This color was one of the reasons American Saruks became so popular in the United States. Today, American Saruq designs are also copied in India, Romania and China.
	Senneh Senneh rugs are made in Sanandaj, formerly known as Senneh, the capital city of the province of Kurdistan in northwest of Iran. Ironically, the asymmetrical knot also known as Persian or Senneh knot was named after this city even though the symmetrical (Turkish) knot is the type of knot frequently used in Senneh rugs. Senneh weavers tend to weave mostly smaller rugs as well as runners, high quality kelims, and saddlebags. It is unfortunate that only a limited number of these fine rugs are now made and reach the market. These rugs are made in villages as well as workshops. The foundation is almost always cotton and the pile wool, with the exception of some antique rugs which have silk foundations. Although rugs of Senneh are similar to Bijar rugs and rugs of other Kurdish tribes, in some ways, they still have their own distinguishing characteristics. The pattern of Senneh rugs is almost always geometric. The most common motif seen in Senneh rugs is the herati motif. Often this motif is woven in an all-over layout. However, the most common Senneh design is herati motifs in a medallion layout. The medallions are usually hexagons, sometimes with steps. These medallions are often concentric, smaller medallions within larger ones. At times the largest medallion covers the entire field. Sometimes the whole field (including all the medallions) is covered with herati motifs, and sometimes the medallions are either solid or filled with the boteh motif. Another version of this design consists of several vertically connected medallions. These connected medallions filled with herati or boteh motifs are usually inside a long mutli-sided shape which is often in a solid color. In both medallion designs, the medallions often have pendants similar to arrows or anchors. Another design woven by Senneh weavers is an all-over boteh. The most common background colors used in Senneh rugs are cherry red, navy, black, brown, ocher and beige. The frequently used motif colors are yellow, red, light green, orange and white.
	Shiraz In Shiraz and many of the villages east of Shiraz rugs of similar quality and design are woven by Arabs and other Khamseh weavers. These rugs are labeled as Shiraz. The difference between Persian village rugs and those woven by recently settled nomadic tribes are often hazy since there is frequently intermarriage between the villagers and the nomads of the same plain or valley. Shiraz rugs are woven with geometric designs and rectilinear pole medallions and repeated hexagonal motifs. The field usually contains a variety of small geometric motifs such as birds, animals, and human figures. Shiraz rugs are woven with wool warp and weft threads; goat’s hair is often mixed with wool in the warps. The sides are overcast either with goat’s hair or two strands of alternating colored wool, giving a barber-pole effect. The medium-long wool pile has a soft texture. The colors are bright red, black, yellow, orange, white, light and dark blue. The background is usually red with a dark blue or black central medallion and spandrels.
	Tabriz Tabriz rugs are woven in workshops of Tabriz and its vicinity. Tabriz is the capital of Eastern-Azerbaijan province in northwest of Iran. Tabriz is one of the most important rug weaving centers in Iran. Although a variety of curvilinear designs are woven in Tabriz, geometric rugs can also be found. Tabriz rugs mostly use the symmetric (Turkish) knot. Tabriz designs are the most diverse designs of Iran. Tabriz weavers use many different Persian and universal designs and motifs in their weaving. Often rather than directly copying these designs, they use their own interpretations such as their interpretation of the herati medallion-and-corner of Bijar. Some of the designs and motifs used by the Tabriz weavers consist of shah abbasi medallion-and-corner, islimi medallion-and-corner, shah abbasi and islimi medallion-and corner, Koran medallion-and-corner, Sheikh Safi medallion-and-corner (a medallion surrounded by 16 leaf-like pendants with two lamps connected to the medallion), paneled garden, vase, hunting, pictorial, prayer rug with lamps and/or columns, animal, scenery, tree, all-over boteh, all-over gul farangi, and all-over herati; the boteh, gul farangi and herati motifs can be seen in the medallion layout as well. The palette of Tabriz rugs is as diverse as the designs. Colors used can be very vivid or pastel depending on the market demand. A distinguishing characteristic of Tabriz rugs is the numerous colors used in one rug. One popular and expensive design is the finely woven, exceptionally detailed shah abbasi and/or islimi medallion-and-corner. These rugs are generally woven with silk foundation and wool pile with silk highlights. The common background and border colors used in this design are pink, peach, camel, beige, and ivory. Although the motifs are in variety of colors such as blue, green, yellow, orange, and lavender, often times the overall look of these rugs is pastel. Although pastel colors are frequently used, you can still find Tabriz rugs of this design with darker colors.
	Turkmen Turkmens, Turkomans are the majority population of current Turkmenistan (Central Asia), a land of Parthian Empire (Alexander the Great) and one of the Silk Route countries. Turkmens are recognized widely for their folk art - Boukhara rugs and carpets, fine silk needlework and embroidery, silver jewelry as well as famous Turkmen Akhal-Tekke stallions. There are many Turkmen people currently living in Afghanistan and Iran. Although they have been exposed to and in few cases probably mixed with domestic cultures, main trends in clothing and customs remained the same.
	Zanjan Zanjan is a city in the northwestern Iran. Zanjan township is 328 km. far from Tehran. Enjoying a mild weather in summer and cold weather in winter, Zanjan means ´dear wife´ in Farsi. Zanjan produces many beautiful Persian tribal rugs, which are all handmade by nomadic Persian tribes living in the northwestern of Iran. The colors of these rugs are usually very bright and lively. The quality is very good and the rugs have proved to last a long time. An authentic Persian Zanjan rug is an ideal way to add something exotic to a room which could use some flavor. Zanjan was badly damaged due to Mongols attack but in the region of Sultan Mohammad Khodabandeh, Sultanieh was changed to the largest capital of Ilkhani government . By the order of Oljaito, a fortification was constructed around Sultanieh and a huge castle was build in its midst. He built a cemetery with a high dome for himself which is famous Khodabandeh dome. Sultanieh became one of the most important cities of Ilkanan after Tabriz in the region of Oljaito. Oljaito. s cemetery was badly damaged by Taymour the lame after the fall of Ilkhanan about 600 years ago.
	Varamin Varamin is a town located 30 miles southeast of Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Varamin has a very diverse population. In addition to its city population, its surrounding areas are home to and a gathering place for many tribes such as Kurds, Lurs, Arabs, Ghashghais and Turkomans. As a result, Varamin rugs are made in all three settings of workshop, village and nomadic. The nomads weave both pile and flat weaves. The flat weaves consist of kelims, saddlebags and salt bags. In their designs, mainly geometric, they employ a variety of motifs such as the Turkmen gul, the Caucasian crab, and the Persian boteh, all in bright colors. However, the signature design of Varamin is the mina-khani design in which the field is covered with daisies connected together with lines that form diamonds or circles in an all-over layout. The background color, in this design, is usually blue and the motifs are usually woven in white, yellow, orange, bright red, and blue. Another all-over design of Varamin is a combination of herati motifs in between shah abbasi motifs. The motifs are woven in red, green, and blue with white highlights against a blue-black background. The village and workshop weavers mainly use the asymmetrical (Persian) knot, and the nomads, depending on their ethnicity, use either the asymmetrical or the symmetrical (Turkish) knot
	Yalameh Yalameh is located In the center of Iran , slightly north of Isfahan, lies the town of Yalameh. The city of Yalameh is well known for top quality tribal rugs with beautiful diamond patterns, which are most distinctive for their color and imaginative design. Yalameh in the early nineteenth century produced some very handsome and densely knotted rugs. These finest Yalameh has many colored and cleverly divided into a lattice of diamonds, which encloses a number of stylized geometrical animal and flower and birds patterns. The design very skillfully arranged and the colors so beautiful.
	Viss Viss or Wiss is a small town near city of Hamedan. Viss has very interesting position and population. There are Kurds and Turkish people and nomadic people of BAKHTIARI. These tribes have been influenced the rugs and carpets produced in Viss. Majority of Viss rugs have geometric designs that is indication of tribal rugs.