
Heriz
carpets or Heriz rugs are unique pieces of art created by the weavers of
Heriz, located in the city of Tabriz which is one of the major weaving
centers of Iran. These carpets and rugs owing to their style and texture
are famous across the world. The style in which they are weaved is
distinctive. The Heriz rugs are considered as the Iron Rug of Iran. They
are thick and coarser due to which they are inexpensive and appeal
strongly to the western market.
Design and Patterns
Like other carpet, pattern followed is generally geometrical. The
background is crowded. However in some of the older carpets this is kept
plain. Center medallions of the carpet are embellished richly and have a
characteristic, rather rectangular shape. The carpet also consists of
various filler motifs like arabesques, palmettes and rosettes in
colorful repeat. The other characteristic features of Heriz carpets are
the square or rectangular corners in the field, often decorated with
arabesques. Some of the patterns and designed generally followed are:
- Large diamond medallion
- Floral Medallion with eight petals, having shape of star
- Centerpiece medallion
- All over layouts with Shah Abbasi motifs and Curvilinear floral
motifs
- Large central medallion embedded within a lighter field
Colors
Brown, red, light and dark pink, light and dark blue and ivory are the
popular colors. Dark colors usually blue and its shades are used for
creating contrast in the carpets. Some shades of rust are also part of
the main color scheme. Because of balanced color, these carpets look
marvelous.
Production Centers
Major production centers of Heriz carpets and Heriz rugs are :
Persia
- Heriz
- Neighboring areas of Azerbaijan
- Ahar
- Mehraban
- Sarab
- Serapi
- Bakhshaish
- Gorevan.
Outside Persia
Heriz carpets are also manufactured in other countries like:
- India
- Pakistan
- China
- Romania
Trade Names of Heriz Rugs and Carpets
The important trade name of Heriz carpets are
- Bakhshayesh
- Mehraban
- Serapi
- Gorevan
Weaving Style
Heriz carpets are woven using symmetrical Turkish double knot. The
quality of the carpets depend upon the quality of the materials. Ancient
Heriz carpets made the use of woolen foundation for weaving but after
19th century trend shifted towards cotton foundation. The Carpets are
knotted symmetrically with depressed alternate warps.
About Heriz
Heriz, located in the Province of Eastern Azerbaijan, in the
northwestern part of Iran (Persia). The region was the center of
oriental culture and the production of beautiful carpets 100 years ago.
Even in the modern period the weavers of the region are producing
beautiful carpets with all the beautiful designs and patterns. Though
the term covers carpets of many small villages in the area, the most
beautiful samples were woven in Heriz itself.
