Heriz Rugs: The Definitive Guide

Heriz is a small town situated in the North West of Iran, about 112KM northeast of Tabriz. Heriz rugs are known for their geometric designs and grandeur, but have not always been this way. Early silk Heriz carpets dating back to the 18th Century have been shown to be extremely intricate and advanced in their knotting techniques and detailing, being in design and quality very similar to Tabriz carpets.

(Picture taken from Jon Thompson's Carpets From the Tents, Cottages and workshops of Asia)

How to Identify a Heriz Rug

Typically Heriz rugs are geometric in design with central medallions and corner pieces. They feature bright colours that soften over time. They are usually double wefted, making them a thicker rougher carpet than the city pieces. Some older Heriz rugs have been woven using silk (pictured above). These rugs are extremely rare and we have only ever held 3 in stock in our London warehouse. The silk Heriz rugs also do not follow the traditional design patterns for Heriz. They are more intricate in design and more closely resemble the designs of Tabriz rugs. (Pictured below is a more traditional Heriz carpet)

Materials Used to Weave Heriz Rugs

More often than not Heriz carpets are woven with a cotton warp and a woolen warp. Due to the region that Heriz carpets are woven in and the area that the sheep are herded (around the slopes of Mount Salaban) the wool is a lot tougher and more durable. Thus making it more apparent to find Heriz rugs that have lasted numerous generations of a single family.

As previously stated it is also possible to find antique Heriz rugs that have been woven using pure silk for both the warp and weft. This however was only produced for a short period of time.

Types of Heriz Rugs

As Heriz is a large region of Iran that encompasses many small villages including; Ahar, Heriz, Bakhshaish, Gherevan & Serapis. These carpets tend to be banded together under the name of Heriz. However there are some differences between these carpets, even if they do all have very similar designs.

Ahar rugs have the loosest weave and are the lowest quality from this region whilst Heriz, Bakhshaish, Gherevan & Serapis are some of the finer pieces, with Serapis being the finest in quality.

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