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Vintage Karaja Heriz Rug
147 × 195 cm · 4.8 × 6.4 ft · Brick Red, Navy & Ivory
Three stepped medallions in a row on a brick-red field — the signature layout of the Karaja village looms, hand-knotted around 1960 in hand-spun wool with a full pile.
Provenance and Knotting Tradition
Karaja is a village in the Heriz weaving district of East Azerbaijan province, in the highlands between Tabriz and Ahar in north-western Iran. Like the whole Heriz family, Karaja weavers work with the symmetrical (Turkish) knot, hand-spun wool and a cotton foundation. What sets Karaja apart is scale and drawing: the pieces are smaller than the large Heriz room-size carpets, and their geometry is denser and more tightly drawn.
This piece was hand-knotted around 1960 at approx. 160,000 knots per m² (approx. 100 kpsi) — finer than the 90,000 to 150,000 knots usual for standard Heriz quality. It belongs to our vintage rugs: old enough for a mellowed palette, with its pile still full and even.
The Karaja Signature: Medallions in a Row
Karaja rugs are recognisable at a glance. Where a Heriz carpet is built around one large central medallion, a Karaja carries a row of medallions on the vertical axis, alternating between large stepped star forms and smaller hexagons or octagons. Here there are three: two angular star medallions with floral rosettes at their centres and, between them, a smaller navy-and-ivory hexagon — all three outlined in ice blue.
The medallion row speaks the same visual language as the rugs of the Caucasus, just across the Aras river: stepped contours, hooked motifs and small geometric fillers scattered across the field — tiny cypresses, trees and blossoms. For centuries Persian Azerbaijan and the southern Caucasus shared a language, a knot and a market, with Tabriz as the hub, and Karaja shows this Caucasian vocabulary especially clearly. Some Karaja weavers even took over complete Caucasian designs — such as the rare Eagle pattern of our semi-antique Karaja Eagle rug from the same village.
Colour and Composition
The densely filled field runs from brick to tomato red. A navy main border of geometric vines and leaves frames it, flanked by lighter guard borders. Navy and ice blue, ivory, green and rust orange carry the drawing, with honey and brown accents. Six decades have softened the reds without flattening them, and the full pile gives the colours depth.
Presence in the Room
At 147 × 195 cm (4.8 × 6.4 ft, 2.87 m²) this is a small-to-medium size. Three contexts in which it comes into its own:
- Loft or city apartment: the bold geometric drawing holds its own beside concrete, steel, oak and leather.
- Library or study: the row of medallions forms a clear central axis in a room of books and panelling.
- Bedroom: beside or at the foot of a bed, the red and navy give a calm, structured accent.
Specifications
| Provenance | Karaja, Heriz district, East Azerbaijan (north-western Iran) |
| Design | Three stepped medallions on a vertical axis, geometric field, navy border |
| Age | Vintage, c. 1960 |
| Weave | Hand-knotted, symmetrical (Turkish) knot |
| Knot density | approx. 160,000 knots per m² (approx. 100 kpsi) |
| Material (pile) | 100 % Wool (hand-spun) |
| Material (foundation) | 100 % Cotton (warp and weft) |
| Dimensions | 147 × 195 cm (4.8 × 6.4 ft) |
| Area | 2.87 m² (small to medium size) |
| Colours | Brick to tomato red, navy, ice blue, ivory, green, rust orange, honey brown |
| Condition | Very good; full, even pile |
| Certificate | On request, certificate of authenticity with origin and all relevant data |
| Underfloor heating | Suitable |
| Reference | #14865 |
Djoharian — Since 1967
With roots in the Grand Carpet Bazaar of Tehran and more than five decades of experience in the international rug trade, Djoharian has specialised in antique, tribal and designer rugs since 1967. Djoharian is also a Label STEP certified dealer for fair-trade knotted rugs (new production).
Service and Delivery
Every piece is expertly inspected in our atelier in Lohr am Main before dispatch. For expert washing and repair we offer our own professional rug cleaning service. We offer secure and fast worldwide shipping, fully insured, and personal consultation in our showroom or by video call. We also make bespoke rugs in your own size and colours.
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