Persian Shiraz Rugs

Persian Shiraz rugs are tribal type rugs, and are not often very finely knotted. Design wise, both Abadeh and Qashkiey rugs are similar, with Qashkiey being middle of the ground in knot density and abadeh being the finer end. However, some older Qashkiey are very fine indeed, and are highly collectable items.

Shiraz is a town in the south west region of Iran, sited practically upon the old Persian Persepolis. Shiraz rugs are not usually made in a large factory, with the majority of them being woven by home weavers and taken into the main bazaar to be sold on, most often, to traders who will group a sizeable range of these rugs and sell them to smaller traders or export them.

Shiraz rugs are constructed using the Persian (asymetrical) knot and can be between 100 and 300 knots per inch. The pile is usually very strong wool, clipped a medium height, using most often a wool warp and weft. The design is a geometric, with sometimes a pole medallion in the middle. Some pieces feature Cyrus' white horse.

BUYING TIPS Shiraz as explained are tribal rugs, made using a wool warp and weft. This means they are not always completely straight. Being hand made, this is to be expected and not necessarily a fault in the rug. But it does depend on how distorted the rug is. When buying, go for one that is as straight as possible, and try to discount heavily distorted ones.

Check the pile for consistency in pile height, some are clipped a bit too low in places. Check there are no holes anywhere in the pile! Most reputable companies will have check all these things prior to display, but the odd one can get through.

Rub the pile with your fingers quite vigorously to see how colour fast the rug is. Some rugs that have an extremely low pile (i.e. clipped too low) may show the warp/weft through, so they are painted in those areas to cover up. Some rugs will give off some colour when you rub them extremely vigorously though, especially the darker parts of the red.

Pricewise it is very difficult to ascertain, as it depends on many factors such as the finishing wash, among other things. But at the very expensive end of the market, you should not be paying over £100 per square metre. Unless the item is an antique (NOT just a used piece though). Overall though, price should be between £50 to £100 per square metre, assuming the quality is good as consistent. The price difference will be down to the establishment you buy from. Retail shops in the centre of town will be more expensive than most other outlets.