Oriental Rugs Dictionary

Kashan

Kashan is a town on the fringes of the central desert about 160 miles to the south of Teheran, with a long history of weaving, going back to the Safavid era. Production was very limited till the end of 19 Century, when weaving industry revived throughout Persia, especially for export purposes. Initially, Australian merino wool was used to give the carpets extra softness. These carpets were referred to as kurk carpets, and the practice spread later to other city workshops. Kurk carpets were made in Kashan till late 1930s when locally produced wool started to be used as well.

Kashan weavers, traditionally, favored classical elongated center medallion designs with corner decorations. A practice which was adopted by the weavers of Sarouk and Fereghan, though on early 20th century both regions switched to allover floral patterns, which were demanded by the export markets, in particular America.

As an attribute to the original weaving practice in Kashan, silk rugs, many of prayer formats, continued to be made in large numbers in the highly organized and productive Kashan workshops during the 1920s. While these rugs are still fairly popular, they do not achieve the high prices they commanded in 1970s.

For Kashan rugs in our inventory click here