Persian Sub Styles
Afshar, Ardabil, Bakhtiari, Bijar, Isfahan, Farahan, Hamadan, Heriz, Joshaghan, Kashan,
Kerman, Malayer, Mashad, Nain, Qashghai, Qum, Ravar, Sarab, Sarouk, Senneh, Serapi,
Shiraz, Tabriz, Varamin.
Nain
The city of Nain is located in the central Iranian province of Isfahan. Prior to the 1930s,
men's cloaks (abaas) were woven in this city; however, as cloaks went out of fashion, the
rug industry replaced the cloak-industry. Nain rugs are woven with the asymmetrical
(Persian) knot inside both workshops and homes, and are sold through the bazaars of the
capital city of the province also named Isfahan. Although the majority of Nain rugs have
either wool pile, or wool pile with silk highlights, all-silk Nain rugs are woven as well. The
foundation of Nain rugs can be either cotton or silk. Nain rugs are known worldwide for
their fine weave and extremely detailed curvilinear designs. They are similar to Isfahan rugs in
both design and construction. One main difference is that more animal motifs, especially
birds, are used in the background of Nain rugs. One distinguishing trait that sets Nain rugs
apart from other styles is the use of the islimi motif. The common designs consist of star
medallions, shah abbasi and islimi medallion-and-corner, all-over shah abbasi, mina-khani,
and paneled (often curved panels). It is common to see floral (mainly shah abbasi) and
animal motifs (frequently birds) inside the panels and even inside the compartments of the
mina-khani. The shah abbasi motif is the most common border motif. In the shah abbasi and
islimi medallion-and-corner design, the medallion is frequently round and surrounded by
about 16 shah abbasi motifs in a way that the medallion resembles the center of a large
flower and the shah abbasi motifs surrounding it are its petals. The pendants attached to the
top and bottom of the medallion are large and very noticeable. The background of the rug is
filled with shah abbasi and islimi motifs. Each corner is a quarter of the circular medallion,
and the border is filled with shah abbasi motifs. One distinguishing characteristic of Nain
rugs is their restrained yet elegant palette. The colors used in Nain rugs tend to be muted
rather than bright. White, ivory, beige, buff, light gray, light blue, turquoise, navy, light brown,
camel, and burgundy are among the most frequently used colors with beige and navy being
the dominant background colors. Red and green are also used but to a much lesser extent
Afshar, Ardabil, Bakhtiari, Bijar, Isfahan, Farahan, Hamadan, Heriz, Joshaghan, Kashan,
Kerman, Malayer, Mashad, Nain, Qashghai, Qum, Ravar, Sarab, Sarouk, Senneh, Serapi,
Shiraz, Tabriz, Varamin.
Nain
The city of Nain is located in the central Iranian province of Isfahan. Prior to the 1930s,
men's cloaks (abaas) were woven in this city; however, as cloaks went out of fashion, the
rug industry replaced the cloak-industry. Nain rugs are woven with the asymmetrical
(Persian) knot inside both workshops and homes, and are sold through the bazaars of the
capital city of the province also named Isfahan. Although the majority of Nain rugs have
either wool pile, or wool pile with silk highlights, all-silk Nain rugs are woven as well. The
foundation of Nain rugs can be either cotton or silk. Nain rugs are known worldwide for
their fine weave and extremely detailed curvilinear designs. They are similar to Isfahan rugs in
both design and construction. One main difference is that more animal motifs, especially
birds, are used in the background of Nain rugs. One distinguishing trait that sets Nain rugs
apart from other styles is the use of the islimi motif. The common designs consist of star
medallions, shah abbasi and islimi medallion-and-corner, all-over shah abbasi, mina-khani,
and paneled (often curved panels). It is common to see floral (mainly shah abbasi) and
animal motifs (frequently birds) inside the panels and even inside the compartments of the
mina-khani. The shah abbasi motif is the most common border motif. In the shah abbasi and
islimi medallion-and-corner design, the medallion is frequently round and surrounded by
about 16 shah abbasi motifs in a way that the medallion resembles the center of a large
flower and the shah abbasi motifs surrounding it are its petals. The pendants attached to the
top and bottom of the medallion are large and very noticeable. The background of the rug is
filled with shah abbasi and islimi motifs. Each corner is a quarter of the circular medallion,
and the border is filled with shah abbasi motifs. One distinguishing characteristic of Nain
rugs is their restrained yet elegant palette. The colors used in Nain rugs tend to be muted
rather than bright. White, ivory, beige, buff, light gray, light blue, turquoise, navy, light brown,
camel, and burgundy are among the most frequently used colors with beige and navy being
the dominant background colors. Red and green are also used but to a much lesser extent
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Quality
Nain rugs and carpets vary. Newer ones are extremely good, although Nain does not have
long history in the carpet industry. Due to the considerable demand for Nain rugs and
carpets, there are many Indian and Pakistani imitations on the market. Unfortunately, some
dealers are selling them as real Nain. One of the most famous master weavers in Nain is
Habibian. It is very hard to find real Habibian carpets because of the high demand. Older
Nain rugs and carpets are also hard to find.
Knots
Weavers in Nain use Persian knots. Persian rug experts use a different measurement called
LAA (Farsi word [Official language in Iran]) exclusively to define the quality of Nain rugs.
LAA means layers and refers to the number of threads forming each fringe at the end of a
Nain rug. The LAA number is an indication of price:
as LAA numbers decrease, the price of Nain rugs increases.
A good quality Nain is 9 LAA, which means you can count 9 threads on each fringe at the
end of the rug. The most expensive Nain rugs have 4 LAA, which is superfine, very
valuable, and difficult to find. The quality of the carpet also depends upon the number of
knots, which varies, but averages from around 120 KPSI up to 842 KPSI .
Foundation
Warp is mostly cotton; weft is either silk or wool.
Nain rugs and carpets vary. Newer ones are extremely good, although Nain does not have
long history in the carpet industry. Due to the considerable demand for Nain rugs and
carpets, there are many Indian and Pakistani imitations on the market. Unfortunately, some
dealers are selling them as real Nain. One of the most famous master weavers in Nain is
Habibian. It is very hard to find real Habibian carpets because of the high demand. Older
Nain rugs and carpets are also hard to find.
Knots
Weavers in Nain use Persian knots. Persian rug experts use a different measurement called
LAA (Farsi word [Official language in Iran]) exclusively to define the quality of Nain rugs.
LAA means layers and refers to the number of threads forming each fringe at the end of a
Nain rug. The LAA number is an indication of price:
as LAA numbers decrease, the price of Nain rugs increases.
A good quality Nain is 9 LAA, which means you can count 9 threads on each fringe at the
end of the rug. The most expensive Nain rugs have 4 LAA, which is superfine, very
valuable, and difficult to find. The quality of the carpet also depends upon the number of
knots, which varies, but averages from around 120 KPSI up to 842 KPSI .
Foundation
Warp is mostly cotton; weft is either silk or wool.