Iran  

These city and workshop rugs of Iran are familiar around the world. Persian city rugs have come from the areas of Hamadan, Hariz and Shiraz. Wonderfully unique, thick gabbeh rugs are produced in Southwestern Iran. Qalimkiri, a handblocked cotton cloth, is used for bedcovers, tablecloths and decoration. The rugs and kilims of tribal people are less accessible, but produced in a wider variety.

For centuries, rugs, kilims and other textiles have been produced by nomads and villagers throughout Iran. Tribes, such as the Qashqa'i, Shahsavan and Afshari use geometric motifs and traditional designs--some religious, talismanic or totemic—which are passed from one generation to the next. The Bakhtiari tribe travels the Zagaros mountains of western Iran, a migration made famous in the movie, People of the Wind. Bakhtiari saddlebags ("khorjin") are often resewn as kilims. Asymmetrical designs feature pile, soumak, and plainwoven sections.