Qashqai Tribal Rugs

Qashqai rugs — woven by the nomads of Fars

The Qashqai (also written Gashgai or Qashghai) are the largest tribal confederation in southern Iran. They move with their flocks between winter pastures near the Gulf and summer grazing in the Zagros mountains above Shiraz. Their rugs are woven by women on horizontal ground looms that can be taken apart and carried — which is why Qashqai pieces are rarely very large, and why their patterns are carried in memory rather than drawn out on a cartoon beforehand.

The confederation is made up of several groups, and the differences are visible in the weaving. The best known are the Kashkuli, Amaleh, Darrehshuri, Shesh Boluki and Farsimadan; Kashkuli work is generally the finest knotted of them. The Khamseh are often mentioned alongside the Qashqai, but they are a separate tribal confederation in the same province of Fars — not a Qashqai subtribe. For technical and historical background, the Jozan Carpet Encyclopedia is the standard reference on Persian provenance.

Colour, pattern and the madder red

The deep red that runs through most Qashqai weaving comes from madder root (Rubia tinctorum), usually paired with indigo blue and undyed ivory wool. Plant dyes take the light differently from synthetic ones: the colour shifts slightly across the surface as you walk around the rug, rather than sitting flat.

The drawing is geometric — hooked medallions, stylised birds, goats and horses, small diamond fields, and borders built from repeated hooks and stars. Because the weaver works from memory, motifs are rarely identical from one end to the other. That is characteristic of tribal weaving, not a defect.

Kilim or pile — which one suits you

The Qashqai weave both, and they behave quite differently in a room.

• Kilim (flatweave) — no pile, thin and light. Easy to lift, easy to layer over a larger rug or a wooden floor, and a sensible choice where a door has to clear the floor. It needs an anti-slip underlay, and it gives you less warmth and less sound absorption than a pile rug.
• Knotted pile — heavier, warmer underfoot, quieter in a room with hard floors and hard walls. It takes daily traffic better than a flatweave and holds its shape without an underlay.

Living with a Qashqai — an honest note

These are working textiles from a nomadic tradition, and they show it. Edges are rarely perfectly straight, and sides can differ by a centimetre or two over the length — a rug that lies dead square is usually a workshop product, not a tribal one. Colour banding across the field (abrash) comes from different dye batches of hand-spun wool and is part of the character.

The wool is sheep's wool throughout, so the usual precautions apply: pieces left undisturbed under heavy furniture or in storage are the ones moths find. Vegetable dyes are gentler than synthetics but not immune to strong direct sunlight, so a south-facing conservatory is not the ideal spot. If you want something for a dining room or a busy hallway, the denser weaves in Bidjar or Heriz will take the wear better.

At a glance

• Origin: Fars province, southern Iran, around Shiraz
• Material: hand-spun wool pile on a wool or cotton foundation; kilims are wool throughout
• Knot density: pile pieces typically around 120,000 to 250,000 knots per square metre, finer in Kashkuli work
• Dyes: madder, indigo and other plant dyes on older and better pieces
• Sizes: mostly small and medium formats; large sizes are uncommon
• Underfloor heating: suitable
• Label STEP Fair Trade: fair wages, no child labour, monitored working conditions
• Documentation: written assessment of origin, material and knot count with every rug

Care

Vacuum in the direction of the pile; on a kilim, use reduced suction and no rotating brush bar, which pulls at the flat weave. Turn the rug end for end once or twice a year so that wear and light fall evenly. Deal with spills by blotting rather than rubbing, and avoid soaking the foundation. Hand washing every few years keeps hand-spun wool supple — machine and chemical processes tend to leave it dull and dry. Customers in Germany can use our own washing and repair service, including collection and return in the Würzburg region; elsewhere we are glad to help you find a specialist nearby.

Related collections

Persian rugs overview · Kilims and flatweaves · Abadeh · Afshar and Sirjan · Bakhtiari · Vintage rugs