Tabriz Hand-Knotted Persian Rugs and Carpets

Tabriz — the most technically accomplished Persian city weave

Tabriz lies in north-west Iran, in the Azerbaijani part of the country, and has been a weaving centre since the Safavid workshops of the sixteenth century. UNESCO lists it as a world city of carpet weaving. What distinguishes Tabriz from the other great Persian centres is less a style than a discipline: work is woven from a drawn cartoon, with a precision that makes almost any design possible — from strict medallion compositions to figurative scenes and copies of museum pieces.

The classical designs are the Mahi or Herati field — the small lattice of fish and rosettes — and large floral medallions with matching corner spandrels.

The city’s standing is easy to verify: the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art all hold Safavid carpets attributed to Tabriz workshops. For provenance and technical background, the Jozan Carpet Encyclopedia is the standard reference.

The knot

Tabriz works the symmetric Turkish knot rather than the asymmetric Persian one. That is a regional trait rather than a Tabriz peculiarity: the symmetric knot is used across the west of Iran, and Bidjar — itself a major production centre — works it too. In Mashhad, in the east, both knots are used, and pieces knotted symmetrically there carry the additional designation Turkbaft.

Raj — how Tabriz quality is actually measured

Tabriz rugs are graded in Raj: the number of knots counted across roughly 7 cm of the rug’s width. It is the most useful figure to ask for, because it tells you more about a piece than any dealer’s adjective.

• 25–30 Raj — robust everyday weaves, roughly 130,000 to 180,000 knots per m²
• 40 Raj — standard workshop quality, roughly 330,000 knots per m²
• 50 Raj — fine weaving, roughly 510,000 knots per m²
• 60 Raj — very fine, roughly 730,000 knots per m²
• 70–80 Raj — collector quality, from roughly 1,000,000 knots per m²

What a higher Raj buys is clarity. Finer knotting and a shorter pile let the drawing come through sharply, so that even filigree detail stays legible — a face, a leaf, the shading in a petal. At these densities the finest Kurk wool and silk are used, and the character of the piece changes with it: these are less utility rugs than works of art. You can certainly live with one, but it should be treated with more care than a coarse village weave.

Which Raj for which room

• Hallway, dining room, family living room: 30 to 40 Raj. Dense enough to look considered, coarse enough to take the traffic.
• Living room, bedroom, study: 50 Raj is the usual choice, and the point at which the drawing becomes noticeably finer.
• Display pieces and wall hangings: 60 Raj and above, often with silk highlights. This is where the finest work sits, and it belongs where it can be looked at rather than walked across.

The workshop names

As in Kashan, the workshops matter. Haji Jalili is the great nineteenth-century name, recognisable by a soft, faded palette of ivory, terracotta and light blue, and by unusually delicate drawing. Benam and Alabaf are twentieth-century workshops known for technical consistency. These names are also borrowed freely in the trade: better checked than taken on trust.

Living with a Tabriz — an honest note

Tabriz drawing is symmetrical and precise, and it benefits from being seen whole. In a room where a sofa or a large table covers the centre, the medallion disappears — an allover Mahi field, or one of the muted vintage pieces, works far better there.

Vintage and antique examples often have reduced pile, and some have been chemically washed at some point in their life to soften the colours for the western market. That is not a defect, and it is what gives muted Tabriz rugs their look, but it does mean the pile is shorter and the piece more delicate than a comparable new rug. Anything relevant is described individually on each piece.

At a glance

• Origin: Tabriz, north-west Iran
• Knot: symmetric Turkish knot
• Pile: Kurk wool, often with silk highlights; all silk in the finest pieces
• Foundation: cotton warp and weft; silk in the finest qualities
• Quality range: 25 to 80 Raj, roughly 130,000 to over 1,000,000 knots per m²
• Designs: Mahi (Herati), floral medallion, figurative and garden compositions
• Underfloor heating: suitable
• Documentation: written assessment of Raj count, materials and origin with every rug

Care

Vacuum in the direction of the pile at moderate suction, without an abrasive rotating brush bar, and keep the machine off the fringes. Turn the rug end for end once a year. Blot spills rather than working them into a short, dense pile. Washing, repair and restoration we do ourselves. Customers in Germany can use our rug washing and restoration workshop in Würzburg, including collection and return in the region; elsewhere we are glad to help you find a specialist nearby.

Related collections

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