Tabriz Hand-Knotted Persian Rugs and Carpets

Tabriz rugs — fine Persian carpets of high quality

The Tabriz rug is the most versatile of the Persian carpets. No other provenance spans so wide a range: from robust wool weaves for daily use to collector pieces carrying more than a million knots per square metre. The city appears in the trade as Tabriz, Tabris, Tebriz or, in German usage, Täbriz — always the same place in the province of East Azerbaijan, a leading weaving centre since the sixteenth century.

Unlike nomadic and village weaves these are city rugs: worked from a drawn cartoon, strictly composed, produced in workshops with a division of labour between designer, dyer and weaver. That explains the precision of the drawing — and why Tabriz quality has stayed consistent across decades.

The designs: Mahi, Nachshe and figurative work

Mahi (Herati) — the fish pattern

The best-known Tabriz design. A fine diamond lattice in whose compartments a rosette sits flanked by two curved leaves. The leaves suggest fish, hence the Persian name Mahi; western literature calls the same pattern Herati, after the city of Herat. Usually with a central medallion and corner spandrels, in navy, rust, ivory or beige. Because the pattern runs small and even it reads quietly and tolerates furniture placement — the practical choice for living and dining rooms.

Nachshe (Naghsche) — boldly floral

Large-scale flowering scrollwork around a central medallion, often with palmettes and arabesques. The drawing is freer and more contrasted than Mahi. These are the formal pieces — they carry a room, but they need space and quiet walls.

Pictorial and figurative work

Tabriz is the centre of figurative weaving: hunting scenes, garden pavilions, portraits, episodes from the Shahnameh. A group of its own are the weavings after paintings by the miniaturist Mahmoud Farshchian — worth knowing that Farshchian is a painter, not a weaver; the rugs are made from his images. Such pieces are usually hung as wall hangings rather than laid on the floor.

Tree of life and prayer niche

An ascending tree, often beneath an arched niche (mihrab), frequently with birds in the branches. In small formats from 90 × 60 to 150 × 100 cm a classic wall piece.

Garden and vase designs

The Chahar Bagh, the paradise garden divided into four quarters, and vase compositions with rising flowering stems. Uncommon, mostly in older pieces.

Open fields and patina

Vintage pieces from the 1960s to 1980s whose colours have receded over the years — beige, greige, faded rose, sage. The trade calls this segment patina or muted. These rugs are sought today less for their fineness than for their calm; they suit restrained interiors where a classical medallion carpet would be too loud.

Fineness: what the Raj count means

The fineness of a Tabriz is not stated in knots per square metre but in Raj — the number of knots counted across roughly 7 cm. The higher the figure, the denser the weave, the shorter the pile, and the finer the drawing can be worked.

• 25–30 Raj — approx. 130,000–180,000 knots/m² (approx. 80–120 kpsi): robust everyday quality, longer pile
• 40 Raj — approx. 330,000 knots/m² (approx. 210 kpsi): superior workshop quality
• 50 Raj — approx. 510,000 knots/m² (approx. 330 kpsi): fine weaving, the most common upper grade
• 60 Raj — approx. 730,000 knots/m² (approx. 470 kpsi): very dense, usually with silk outlines
• 70 Raj — approx. 1,000,000 knots/m² (approx. 640 kpsi): rare, master workshops
• 80 Raj — approx. 1,300,000 knots/m² (approx. 840 kpsi): collector quality, often on a silk warp

In practice: for hallways, dining rooms and heavily used spaces 40 Raj is the sensible choice — fine enough in the drawing, sturdy enough in the pile. 50 Raj is the usual range for living rooms and the best ratio of fineness to price. From 60 Raj the pile becomes short enough that the rug reacts more readily to furniture pressure and traffic lanes; these qualities belong in quieter rooms or on the wall.

A higher Raj count does not automatically mean the better rug. A cleanly drawn 40 Raj with good wool and a resolved palette beats an indecisively composed 60 Raj. Fineness is a precondition for quality, not a substitute for it.

The knot

Tabriz rugs are worked with the symmetric knot, commonly called the Turkish knot, tied not with the fingers but with a small hook, the tschakuh. This is a regional trait of north-west Persia: Bidjar and Senneh work symmetrically too. The knot identifies the region rather than Tabriz alone. In Mashhad, in the east, both knots are used, and pieces knotted symmetrically there carry the additional designation Turkbaft.

Materials: Kurk wool, silk and foundation

Pile. The standard is highland wool. Better qualities use Kurk wool — the fine short underwool growing mainly on the neck and shoulder of young sheep. It is softer, glossier and spins finer, which is why it becomes the rule from around 50 Raj. From 50 Raj individual outlines and blossoms are often worked in natural silk: the silk share then usually runs between five and twenty per cent and serves the play of light, not the field.

Foundation. Warp and weft are as a rule cotton. In very fine pieces from around 60 Raj the warp is silk, being thinner and stronger in tension, which is what permits the higher knot densities in the first place.

All-silk rugs are the exception in Tabriz. For a carpet knotted entirely in silk, look to Qum — the centre of silk weaving.

Formats and price orientation

As a city weave the Tabriz is made in fixed workshop sizes. The common formats (length × width):

• Small formats: 90 × 60, 120 × 80, 150 × 100 cm — wall pieces, pictorial rugs, accent areas
• Living formats: 200 × 150, 240 × 170, 300 × 200 cm — the bulk of production
• Large formats: 300 × 250, 350 × 250, 400 × 300 cm — living and dining rooms
• Runners: 80–120 cm wide, 200–600 cm long
• Gallery (Kelleghi): around 150–200 × 350–500 cm — narrow long format
• Palatial formats: to order, up to 800 × 600 cm

Antique and vintage pieces depart from these measurements — rugs woven on wooden looms were rarely exactly rectangular. Variations of two to five centimetres over the length are normal in old work and are not a fault.

What does a Tabriz rug cost?

The range is wider than for any other provenance. In the format 300 × 200 cm a simple Tabriz at 25 Raj starts at around €1,000. An exceptional piece at 80 Raj sits closer to €20,000 and upwards in the same format. Between the two, the deciding factors are silk content, state of preservation and attribution to a named workshop.

Workshops and the antique segment

Tabriz is one of the few provenances where individual pieces can be assigned to specific workshops. For valuation this is the single most important factor.

Haji Jalili

The best-known workshop, active roughly between 1880 and 1910 in Marand near Tabriz. Characteristic are a restrained palette of camel, ivory, walnut brown and pale rust, widely opened fields, fine Herati spandrels and drawing of unusual precision for the period. The pieces are almost never signed; attribution rests on design canon, wool quality and structure. On the international market they are among the most sought-after antique Persian rugs of any kind.

Other named manufactories

Benam and Alabaf stand for very fine new production from 60 Raj with a high silk content. Tabatabai is known above all for floral compositions in muted colouring, Mashayekhi for Mahi work of medium to high fineness.

How to recognise an antique piece

• Natural dyes: madder for red, indigo for blue, weld and pomegranate rind for yellows. They age into depth rather than greying out.
• Abrash: visible colour banding across the field, caused by changing dye lots. In old pieces a mark of authenticity, not a flaw.
• Reverse: even, clearly defined knot rows; the drawing reads as distinctly from the back as from the front.
• Edges and fringes: fringes are the continuation of the warp, not sewn on. Applied fringes point to later repair or to machine-made goods.

What you can expect from us

• Selected pieces: our selection concentrates on antique work and fine workshop qualities.
• Fair origin: we work with Label STEP — fair wages, no child labour, monitored working conditions.
• Washed and checked: vintage and antique pieces are hand-washed before sale and, where needed, restored.
• Certificate of authenticity on request: stating format, materials, knot density and origin.
• Experience since 1967: the Djoharian Collection traces back to the Grand Carpet Bazaar of Tehran and is run in the second generation.

For historical context we draw on our own experience alongside the Jozan Carpet Encyclopedia. Important historical Tabriz work is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Frequently asked questions

What does Raj mean on a Tabriz rug?
Raj is the measure of knot density, counting the number of knots across roughly 7 cm. 50 Raj corresponds to around 510,000 knots per square metre. Higher Raj counts mean finer drawing and a shorter pile.

What is the difference between Mahi and Nachshe?
Mahi (also Herati) is a small diamond lattice with rosettes and fish-shaped leaves — quiet and even. Nachshe describes the large-scale floral compositions with a medallion — more formal and more contrasted.

Which Raj count do I need for a living room?
In most living rooms 40 to 50 Raj is right. Where the room sees heavy traffic or there are children and animals in the house, the lower figure is the more practical choice: the pile is a little sturdier and forgives more.

What does a Tabriz rug cost in 300 × 200 cm?
A simple Tabriz at 25 Raj starts at around €1,000. An exceptional piece at 80 Raj sits closer to €20,000 and upwards in the same format.

Are Tabriz rugs suitable for everyday use?
Yes. The short, dense pile takes up dirt less deeply than long-pile goods, and the scale structure of the wool fibre keeps liquid from soaking in immediately — provided it is lifted promptly. Above all, a hand-knotted rug is repairable: damaged areas can be re-knotted, fringes and edges renewed.

How do I recognise a genuine hand-knotted Tabriz?
The reverse shows the drawing as clearly as the front, individual knot rows are visible, and the fringes are the continuation of the warp — not sewn on. Small irregularities in measurement and colour run indicate hand work.

Care

Day to day, vacuuming in the direction of the pile without a rotating beater bar is enough. For fine qualities from 50 Raj use a head without a brush roll. A rug underlay prevents rucking and reduces abrasion on the foundation. Turn the rug end for end once a year and blot spills rather than working them into a short, dense pile.

We offer rug washing, repair and restoration, including work on fringes and edges and the treatment of moth damage in wool rugs. Customers in Germany can use our rug washing and restoration service in Würzburg, Aschaffenburg and Main-Spessart; elsewhere we are glad to help you find a specialist nearby.

Related collections

Persian rugs overview · Kashan · Isfahan · Heriz · Vintage rugs · Qum silk