Abadeh Persian Rugs — Hand-Knotted Tribal Carpets from Southern Iran
Abadeh Persian Rugs
“The Zil-i-Sultan rose, the precise medallion, the dense hand-spun wool of the Fars highlands.”
The Town of Abadeh — Between Shiraz and Isfahan
Abadeh is a small town in the Fars province of southern Persia, situated on the historic caravan road between Shiraz and Isfahan. Its weaving tradition draws on the geometric language of the surrounding Qashqai tribal weavers, refined through generations into a recognisable urban-tribal style: precise, symmetrical, and richly coloured.
Today Abadeh rugs are valued by collectors and designers for their distinctive Zil-i-Sultan motif — a stylised vase with roses, peacocks and pomegranates, named after the 19th-century Qajar prince Zil-i-Sultan. Detailed historical context is documented in the Jozan Carpet Encyclopedia.
Design Vocabulary
- —Zil-i-Sultan: stylised vase with roses and birds, repeated in geometric fields
- —Central medallion: diamond or hexagonal, often with pendants and stepped corner pieces
- —Tribal palette: rich madder reds, deep indigo blue, ivory cream, walnut brown
- —Multiple borders: classic stepped composition with several narrow geometric guard stripes
Construction & Technical Profile
- •Knot density: typically 150,000 to 450,000 knots per m² (100–300 KPSI)
- •Pile: hand-spun highland wool, often with natural lanolin retained for soft lustre and stain resistance
- •Foundation: cotton warp and weft
- •Pigments: traditionally vegetable dyes — madder root, indigo, walnut shell, pomegranate
- •Knot: asymmetric Persian knot
Common Formats
Abadeh rugs are most commonly woven in the classic Persian small and medium formats: 5 × 3 ft (150 × 100 cm), 7 × 5 ft (200 × 150 cm) and 10 × 7 ft (300 × 200 cm). They sit perfectly in living rooms, entrance halls, libraries and bedrooms — working equally well with traditional and contemporary interiors.
Why Choose an Abadeh from the Djoharian Collection
- —Curated authenticity — each piece selected for genuine wool quality, design clarity and knot integrity
- —Label STEP Fair Trade partner — fair wages, no child labour, responsible production
- —Professionally cleaned and finished by our master craftsmen before delivery
- —Djoharian Collection — since 1967, with roots in the Grand Carpet Bazaar of Tehran
