Glossary of rug terms

Agra

A lovely old vine, leaf, and palm design from India.

Andkhoy

A traditional geometric design from Afghanistan.

Aubusson

A large central rounded medallion center, French in design.

Bijar

A semi-geometric design known for its creativity and color.

Bokhara

Repeating floral guls arranged in order down the field of the rug.

Feraghan

A geometric fish and vine design from Iran.

Hamadan

An Iranian rug of many designs and color combinations.

Heriz

A part floral, part geometric, city rug from Iran, Persia.

Hand-spun wool

Wool spun by hand, contains irregularities which give slight variances when dyed, enhancing the rug.

Iranian

Same as Persian.

Isfahan

A lovely vine and flower design from the Iranian city of the same name.

Karastan

A quality maker of machine made rugs in America.

Kashan

A fine persian rug with a flowery design.

Kazak

A Russian tribal design from the Caucasian mtns.

Kerman

A fine Arabesque floral design in Ivory, Blue, and Red.

Kilim

Flat weave rugs that are reverseable.

Kurdish

A splendid creative design tribal rug.

Mahal

A tight but lovely old geometric Persian design.

Moroccan

Long-wooled rug with a soft nap handknotted in Morocco.

Nepalese

An arts & crafts design that is knobby and contemporary.

Oriental

A rug that is hand-tied hand-knotted or hand-woven.

Pakistan

A country in the mid-east and maker of fine rugs.

Peking

A floral design originated in China.

Persian

Name used prior to the 1950s for mid-eastern floral design rugs.

Prayer

A rug design that is one directional, contains an arch or mihrab at the top.

Sarouk

A floral design originating in Sarouk, Iran.

Sisal

Hand-woven with a flat and neutral weave.

Teawash

A darkened patina wash producing an antique look and feel

Vegetable dye

Wool dyed with roots, bark, insects, or vegetables and known for its beauty even after many years of use.