Mashad Rug Origin & Description Guide

Persian rugs > Persian rug guides > Rug origins > Mashad rugs

See our Mashad rug collection here.

The city of Mashad is located to the far north-east of Iran. Carpet exportation from Mashad pre-dates 1555 with some rare pieces finding their way to various museums around the world.

Based on normally a cotton foundation, the wool pile used in Mashad rugs is amongst the best in Iran. The wool used is soft and the pile is tight and thin. Dark red, blue and khaki are the typical colours used in the carpets making up a curvilinear pattern with a single central medallion, the corners are generally illustrate floral designs, and floral motifs occupy the background. Many of the best carpets in the world are made in Iran, and many of the best carpets in Iran are made in Mashad (in the Saber workshop) giving an idea of how important Mashad is as a carpet-weaving centre. Most of the Mashad carpets are fairly large in size although it is possible to find designs of any size. Knot counts normally range anywhere between 120-475 KPSI, the higher the knot count, normally the higher the quality (and of course price!).

See our Mashad collection here.