Heritage and Knotting Tradition

The Tibetan tiger rug is one of the oldest motifs in Himalayan textile culture. In Tibetan tradition the tiger stands for power, protective strength and spiritual vigilance; tiger rugs served in monasteries and palaces as honoured seats and ceremonial pieces. This rug carries the motif in its abstract form — a rhythmic field of stripes rather than a figural animal.

It is hand-knotted in the workshops of Kathmandu, Nepal, in the Tibetan knotting tradition. We source hand-spun yarn from highland women in small villages who still work the older spinning techniques, a practice that has largely disappeared from the wider Nepalese rug industry. Hand-spun yarn is never perfectly even, and that slight irregularity is what gives the surface its depth: individual fibres take the light at different angles, so the pile shifts as you cross the room.

Colour and Composition

The field carries rows of stylised tiger stripes as periwinkle-blue chevrons, each drawn with a soft grey-lavender shadow along its edge, moving in a wave-and-hook rhythm across a warm amber and caramel-gold ground. A grey-blue border frames the field on all four sides and closes the composition without interrupting the movement.

The entire pile is knotted from a single plied yarn of Chinese Matka mulberry silk and Tibetan Changpai highland wool — approximately 66 % silk to 34 % wool, carried evenly through both the blue stripes and the amber ground. The contrast is therefore one of colour and light rather than of material: in daylight the blue reads cool and clear against the warm field, while under evening light the amber deepens towards gold. Pile height approximately 13 mm.

Presence in the Room

At 248 × 305 cm (7.6 m²) this is a full room-size rug in near-square proportion — a format that sits under a whole furniture group rather than beside it:

• Living room, all legs on: Sofa, armchairs and coffee table stand entirely on the rug, which is what the near-square proportion is for. It draws the seating into one defined island instead of leaving furniture stranded at the edges.
• Under a dining table: Room for a table seating six to eight, with enough margin that chairs stay on the pile when pushed back.
• Large bedroom: Placed under a king bed with the lower two-thirds exposed, so the stripe field is what you step onto on both sides.

Bespoke Commissions

This Tibetan tiger design can be tailored to your architectural project. Our made-to-order Djoharian Design service offers:

• Custom colour palette — selection from over 1,200 yarn shades, matched to Pantone, RAL, fabric or paint samples
• Custom materials — cashmere, alpaca and mohair blends available for the pile
• Custom dimensions — any size to fit your space
• 30 × 30 cm reference sample for sign-off before full production
• Lead time approximately 3 to 5 months from final approval, depending on size

Details and personal consultation on our bespoke commissions page.

Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

Responsible Sourcing · Label STEP

Djoharian is a Label STEP certified dealer for fair-trade knotted rugs — a commitment to dignified working conditions and against child labour in rug production. Visit the Label STEP entry for Djoharian Teppiche →

Djoharian — Since 1967

Founded in 1967, with roots in the Grand Carpet Bazaar of Tehran and more than five decades of experience in the international rug trade. Each piece is carefully selected, inspected and presented with the documentation a discerning buyer expects.

Service and Delivery

Every piece in the Djoharian Collection is expertly inspected in our atelier in Lohr am Main, professionally washed and shipped with a certificate of authenticity. Secure and fast worldwide shipping, fully insured, and personal consultation in our showroom or by video call.