Gabbeh Rugs are Part of a Rich Persian Tradition
The traditional Gabbeh Persian carpet – known as gava in Kurdish and Luri and called khersak in Bakhtiari – is a simple, hand-woven pile rug traditionally made by the nomadic Qashqai tribes who dwelled in the Zagros Mountains of southern Iran, near the city of Shiraz. Other tribes, such as the Lurs, the Kurds and the Bahktiari also weave these carpets.
In Persian, the word “Gabbeh” means “fringe” or “in the rough.” Gabbeh rugs are rough cut and long piled rugs of rich color and the best quality wool. Most Gabbeh carpets are medium size – up to 3’ x 5’ – and feature abstract designs where shapes and color dance playfully with one another.
Variations of the gabbeh rug – such as the “Loribaft”, “Amaleh”, “Kashkuli” – may reflect the heritage of the tribe by which they are woven or the name of the city in which they are most often traded, such as “a Shiraz Gabbeh.”
The 19th century gabbeh rugs were very coarsely knotted (40kpi or less), often with shaggy pile. The name of Gholam Reza Zollanvari is synonymous with modern Gabbeh rugs. Zollanvari learned the rug business from his grandfather, a merchant in the Shirazi rug bazaar. Zollanvari pioneered the construction of fine-weave gabbehs with knot counts of 200+ kpi. Today, Zollanvari rugs are among the most popular styles of Persian rugs.
The Making of a Gabbeh Rugs: A Craft Shared Across Generations
Most Gabbeh carpets are made by women, and many are one-of-a-kind works of art. Some patterns are passed down thru the generations as mothers and grandmothers teach their daughters the art of Persian rug making. Many patterns reflect the weaver’s observations of the environments through which the tribe has passed. Some rugs are even made by the hands of many weavers.
Traditional Gabbeh rugs were woven on makeshift ground looms. These looms are built with materials are carried long distances by the nomadic tribes, or materials found where the tribe settled. Since each loom is unique, each rug is unique; this is how Gabbeh rugs get their distinctive irregular in shape.
Woven with the Wool of Mountain Sheep
Gabbeh rugs are woven from high quality wool from the tribe’s own sheep. As the tribe herds its sheep over hundreds of miles, the nomads reach high altitudes. In the summers, they stay in the highland pastures north of Shiraz in the Zargos Mountains; by winter they sojourn to pasture lands near the Persian Gulf. Sheep grazed in high altitudes produce more lanolin, giving their wool a luxurious softness and resistance to stain.
Rich, Colorful Dyes Give Gabbeh Carpets a Remarkable Color
The Qashqai people find the dyes used in Gabbeh carpets or purchase them in towns where they trade their finished carpets. Often, they use all-natural vegetable dyes to give the wool vibrant color while retaining its lanolin.
Hand-Knotted Rugs with Turkish Symmetrical Knots and Persian Asymmetrical Knots
Most of the wool used in the construction of Gabbeh rugs is handspun using a drop spindle. After the wool has been dyed and handspun, the weaver uses the loom to hand-knot the rug using Turkish symmetrical knots or Persian asymmetrical knots, or even a combination of the two. Because the all the Qashqai tribes use both types of knots, it is difficult to tell from which individual tribe any one rug has come from.
Gabbeh Rugs Are Small – Often Just 3’ x 5’ in Size
A typical size for a Gabbeh carpet is 3 feet by 5 feet. It can take 18 to 25 hours to weave even a small Gabbeh rug. Tribal Gabbeh rugs usually have lower knot counts compared to other types of Persian carpet. This low knot count and the high quality of wool makes Gabbeh rugs famous for their exceptional durability.
Durable Floor Coverings, Wraps and Bedding to Protect from the Mountain Cold
Gabbeh rugs are often floppy because they have wider rows of multiple wefts. This made the soft, pliable rugs ideal as wraps or bedding to insulate against the bitter cold of the mountains.
Gabbeh rugs are often not symmetrical due to the nomadic lifestyle of their creators, and color variations within a rug are common. Often, the variation in color in a rug tells a story of the tribe’s migration, the climates and environments it encountered, and the tribe members who contributed to its creation.
Where to Buy Gabbeh Rugs
Unless you plan to travel to Iran to shop for Gabbeh rugs in the marketplace, we’d suggest buying a Gabbeh rug online from RugSource.com or visiting our showroom. We’re proud to bring these highly coveted rugs to you – please contact us if you’d like to know more.
Bokhara rugs are a type of Oriental rug with a unique design. What makes this design distinct — whether you’re talking about Pakistan Bokhara rugs or Bokhara rugs made in Iran — is that each one typically features side-by-side rows of guls (a medallion design) surrounded by decorative geometric patterns. Because of this, Bokhara Oriental rugs are easy to spot and widely beloved throughout the world.
Rug Source stocks a large variety of Bokhara rugs for sale, available in various color schemes and sizes. Find everything from small, 1-foot-by-2-foot designs to large, 10-foot-by-14-foot Bokhara area rugs. Known for their high quality, beauty and durability, these pieces make exquisite focal points anywhere they’re placed.
A Basic Guide to Buying Bokhara Rugs
When you’re looking for a quality Bokhara rug, there are several factors to consider. You want to choose a rug you’ll love for many years to come. To help you through the buying process, we’ve created this brief guide for you to reference while shopping.
If you have any questions not covered below, please contact us anytime. Our experts are happy to answer your questions and help you find the kind of Bokhara rugs you’ll love for a lifetime.
Background:
The term Bokhara comes from a location in Central Asia where the Tekke and Salor tribes lived. It’s come to be used to describe what are considered Tekke-faced rugs, which may incorporate ideas from both tribes. That’s because, when the Tekke conquered the Salor tribe, many historians believe they assimilated with the Salors’ ideas. Today, Bokhara rugs are made in many parts of the world, including Pakistan, Iran, India, Turkey, Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Shape and Design:
A Bokhara rug is typically rectangular in shape, although there are some that are square. You will see varieties in many color schemes, and the specific style and feel will depend on where the rug was made.
Pakistani Bokharas, which tend to use a predominantly cotton base, are some of the most popular handmade rugs anywhere. They feature a soft, thick pile, as well as a luxurious feel.
Central Asian Bokharas usually are mostly made of wool, and they feature a tighter, denser pile.
There are also Afghani Bokharas made with wool, cotton or silk bases, usually in reddish colors.
Finding Genuine Bokhara Area Rugs at Rug Source
When it comes to antique Bokhara rugs, there’s no better place than Rug Source. As the largest online retailer of area rugs, we promise the lowest online prices and even offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Our rugs are priced 60 to 70 percent below retail and 30 to 40 percent lower than our direct competitors. Browse our online catalog or visit our showroom in Charlotte to find something that’s perfect for you, whatever your aesthetics or budget.
Contact us today to learn more!