Qum Silk Persian Rugs

Qum silk rugs — the finest knotting Persia produces

A Qum rug (also written Qom, Ghom or Ghoum) represents the highest level of Persian textile work. The pieces in this collection are woven from 100 % silk on a silk foundation, at knot densities that allow a level of drawing no other material can hold. Whether a classical medallion, a hunting scene or a tree of life, these are sought-after collector's pieces — and, in the smaller sizes, as much wall art as floor covering.

Why a Qum silk rug costs what it costs

The arithmetic behind these rugs is worth understanding, because it explains the price better than any adjective can.

The material

A square metre of fine Qum silk contains roughly a kilogram of silk in the finished pile. During weaving the pile is deliberately left long — 8 to 10 mm — so the weaver can work precisely, then sheared back to about 3 mm at the finish. Something like 60 % of the silk is cut away, so a kilogram of finished rug starts as two and a half kilograms of raw silk. Since a single cocoon yields only about a third of a gram of reeled silk, that is several thousand cocoons for every square metre.

The time

At these densities a weaver ties in the region of ten thousand knots in a working day. A square metre therefore takes many months — often the better part of a year, and longer for the finest pieces, which is why large silk Qums are usually worked by two weavers side by side at one loom. Set that against the selling price and it becomes clear that a Qum rug is a concentrate of time, natural material and inherited skill rather than simply a textile.

Signed pieces and authenticity

• Signed individual pieces — some rugs carry the woven signature cartouche of their master weaver in the upper border, a hallmark of fine Qum work
• Knot density — typically 500,000 to 1,000,000 knots per square metre, with exceptional pieces above that. This is what makes the photographic level of detail possible
• Documented provenance — every piece is supplied with a written assessment of origin, material and knot count

Qum — a young weaving city

Unlike the older centres of Isfahan and Tabriz, Qum only began weaving in the early twentieth century. That late start freed its workshops from rigid tribal conventions and let them draw on the full range of classical Persian design. For technical and historical background, the Jozan Carpet Encyclopedia is the standard reference on Persian provenance.

Border, field and medallion

Most Qum silk rugs follow a composition that has shaped Persian art for centuries: a strong border, a richly worked inner field, and a central medallion with corner spandrels.

That layout is cultural inheritance rather than decoration. The same architecture governs the Ardabil Carpet at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the seventeenth-century Persian carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Qum rugs are modern in execution and material, but they carry that inheritance forward.

Living with a silk rug — an honest note

Silk is not wool. It reacts more readily to moisture and to mechanical wear, and water marks can remain visible. We therefore suggest silk for bedrooms, dressing rooms and quiet living areas — not for dining tables, hallways or rooms where children and dogs spend their days. In the smaller sizes many owners hang these rugs instead of laying them, which suits the material and shows it better: natural silk reflects light directionally, so the same surface reads lighter or darker depending on where you stand.

If you want the look of this collection somewhere busier, ask us about wool-and-silk pieces — or look at the hard-wearing wool weaves in Heriz and Bidjar. They keep much of the presence and take daily life far better.

At a glance

• Knot density: typically 500,000 to 1,000,000 knots per square metre
• Material: 100 % silk pile on a silk foundation
• Signed pieces: some rugs carry the master weaver's woven cartouche
• Label STEP Fair Trade: fair wages, no child labour, monitored working conditions
• Underfloor heating: suitable
• Documentation: written assessment of origin, material and knot count with every rug

Care

Natural silk is sensitive to aggressive cleaning agents; chemical processes strip the fibre of its lustre and leave it brittle. Hand washing is the only method we recommend. For everyday care, vacuum gently in the direction of the pile, with reduced suction and no rotating brush bar. Keep silk out of direct sunlight, which fades it faster than wool. Customers in Germany can use our hand washing and restoration 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 · Isfahan · Tabriz · Kashan · Small rugs and silk wall pieces