Nain Carpets

Nain carpets / Nain rugs are weaved at Nain or Naien located in the central Iranian province of Isfahan. Initially Nain was famous for weaving of "Aba" which was woven by the wool of camel however in the later period Aba weaving declined and paved the way to Nain rugs. These rugs are manufactured in all sizes and can be used for home decor, art gallery, museums, art center, hotels, waiting room, resorts etc.

Weaving Style
Nain rugs are known worldwide for their fine weave, minute and delicate finishes and durability. The wool used in Naien rugs are delicate. The wools used are often referred as fuzzy. The fuzz of the wool is due to its purity and it is of much higher quality as compared to other Iranian wool. Nain rugs particularly use imported wool.

In Naien rugs, Persian knots (asymmetrical) are used. The foundation is either cotton or silk. The carpet has double weft and requires greater skills for weaving. Wefts can be both silk or cotton. It is weaved in tight and thin piles. They are weaved in double wefted-rugs structure. The weaving style is such that the carpets are flawless and known in the world market as as Iranian excellent rug. The excellent weaving results in the stability of colors ,sizes durability as well as correctness in the design.

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Pattern and Design
Curvilinear designs and patterns are predominant on Nain rugs. Nain rugs are famous because of their fine weave and extremely detailed designs. The design and patterns of Nain carpets have similarity to Esfahan carpets. In Nain rugs, animal motifs, especially birds, are popularly represented in the background. Islimi motifs used in the rugs provides the rug distinctive features. Some of the common designs on the Nain carpets are:

• Star medallions
• Shah abbasi medallion
• Islimi medallion-and-corner
• All-over shah abbasi

In the border shah abbasi motif is common whereas animal and floral motifs can be seen in the panels and even inside the compartments of the mina-khani.

Shah abbasi and islimi medallion and corner design are most complicated and popular. The medallion here is round and surrounded by nearly 16 shah abbasi motifs. The medallion has similarity with the center of a large flower. At the top and the bottom of the medallion, pendants are attached which are large and very noticeable. Border and the background of the rug is filled with shah abbasi motifs.

Colors
Dyeing is done using natural and traditional colors. The colors used in Nain carpets are less bright and tend to be muted. Popular colors used are beige, buff, light gray, white, ivory, light blue, turquoise, navy, light brown, camel, and burgundy. Beige and Navy colors are used in background. Red and green are used rarely.

About Nain
Nain city is a small city located in the east of Isfahaan and to the south east of Tehran. Geographically it is situated in the central plateau of Iran, in Isfahan Province. The climate of the city is hot and it is famous for its villages and wells. Lots of Pre-Islamic relics have been discovered here the most of them being the relic of Naein is `Narenj` or `Narin`castle.