Classification of Persian Rugs (Part3)

Quality

Persian rugs are categorized by quality first and design second. Quality refers mainly to the knotting of the rug plain and simple: the higher the knot count, the higher the quality. Other factors that contribute to the grading of rugs are the quality of the wool or silk, the dyes used, and the symmetry and accuracy throughout the design. There may be dozens of other villages that all produce rugs of their own. All these rugs are marketed in Arak, and thus many of them are referred to as Araks.

Likewise Birjand is a town in the province of Khorasan a far distance south of Mashhad, but some rugs of a certain quality marketed through Mashhad are referred to as Birjands. This system of geography and quality of the Persian rug industry is common throughout Iran.

To be continued...