A hand knotted rug is made one knot at a time, by a person, over months or years. Nothing about it is identical to anything else. This guide covers how to tell a hand knotted rug from a machine made one, what separates the weaving regions, and what is worth paying attention to when you are standing in front of a piece. Around seventy rugs are currently in our Al Quoz showroom in Dubai.
How to tell a hand knotted rug
Turn it over. On a hand knotted rug the pattern is visible on the back, because the pattern is the knots. The reverse looks like a slightly softer version of the front. On a machine made rug the back is usually covered by a backing, or the design reads as printed rather than built.
Then look at the fringe. On a hand knotted rug the fringe is the warp, the foundation threads the whole rug is tied onto, emerging at each end. It cannot be removed without unmaking the rug. A fringe stitched on as a separate strip is a reliable sign of machine production.
Finally, look for small irregularities: a border that shifts by a few millimetres, a line that is not quite straight, a colour that changes partway up. Those are not faults. They are the evidence of a hand at work, and their absence is what should make you suspicious.
Colour, and why it varies
A horizontal band where a colour shifts slightly is called abrash. It happens when a weaver moves from one dyed batch of wool to the next and the two are not quite identical. In a natural dyed rug it is expected, and collectors tend to like it, because a perfectly uniform field usually means industrial dye and industrial production.
Natural dyes also age differently from synthetic ones. They soften rather than fade flatly, which is why an older rug often reads as richer than a new one in the same palette.
Knot count, and what it does not tell you
Knot density is a measure of fineness, not of quality. A finely knotted city rug can hold detail that a village rug cannot, which is why curvilinear medallions and floral work come from workshop towns. But a coarsely knotted tribal rug may use better wool, stronger dyes and a more confident design. The two are different things, and the higher number is not automatically the better rug.
The weaving regions
Tabriz
North west Iran, and one of the oldest and most technically precise weaving centres in the country. Tabriz workshops are known for high knot counts, curvilinear medallion designs and a palette running from soft pastels through to deep indigo. This is the largest group in our collection by a wide margin. See Vintage Tabriz Persian Rugs.
Kerman
South east Iran. Softly drawn curvilinear designs and a palette that leans to ivory, rose, olive and faded blue. Where Tabriz is precise and formal, Kerman is gentler, and the pieces tend to sit more quietly in a room. See Vintage Kerman Persian Rugs.
Anatolia
Turkish, and a different tradition entirely. Anatolian rugs came from villages and towns where carpets were woven for use rather than for export, so the designs are geometric rather than curvilinear, the wool is hand spun, and the colours come from natural dyes. Weaving centres currently represented include Kayseri, Konya, Simav, Sivas, Kars, Kirsehir and Aksaray. See Vintage Anatolian Rugs.
The smaller groups
Alongside those three we hold pieces from other weaving traditions as they come in, including Qashqai tribal weaving from south west Iran, Kashan from central Iran, Hamadan from the villages of the west, Sarab, and Bakhtiyari with its panelled garden designs. These arrive in ones and twos rather than in groups, so the selection changes.
Persian or Anatolian, which suits a room
As a rough guide, Persian city rugs read as formal. The medallion sits at the centre, the border frames it, and the whole thing wants to be seen as a composition, which usually means a room where it is not covered by furniture. Anatolian village rugs are more robust and less symmetrical, and they tolerate a busy room better.
Runners are their own decision. A hall runner is seen end on and in motion rather than from above, so pattern repetition matters more than the centre medallion.
Condition in a vintage rug
Low pile in the walking lines, slightly uneven ends, small old repairs: all normal in a rug that has been used for decades, and none of them are reasons to walk away. What matters more is whether the foundation is sound, whether the sides and ends are secure, and whether any repair has been done sympathetically. Ask. We would rather describe a piece accurately than oversell it.
Caring for a hand knotted rug
Vacuum without the beater bar, and never over the fringe. Rotate the rug once or twice a year so it wears and fades evenly. Deal with spills by blotting rather than rubbing, which pushes the stain into the pile. Use a specialist cleaner rather than a general carpet service, and keep a rug out of permanent direct sun if you can, because even natural dyes will lighten on one side over years.
Seeing them in Dubai
Rugs are difficult to judge from photographs. Scale, pile depth and the way a colour behaves under a room's own light are things you have to stand next to. The collection is in our Al Quoz showroom, open eleven to seven, seven days a week.
Browse the full rug collection, or go straight to Tabriz, Kerman or Anatolian. If you are looking for a particular size, region or palette that is not currently in stock, our bespoke sourcing service can look for it through our network of suppliers.
