Antique Afshar Rug | 4' 3" x 5' 11"

Takab, historically known as Tikan Tappeh, is the highest and coldest city in West Azerbaijan Province. It is the administrative centre of Takab County and one of Iran’s ancient cities, with a history extending back to the Achaemenid period (550–330 BCE) and the Sasanian period.

Around the thirteenth century CE, the Afshar tribe settled in this region and began producing some of the most beautiful and durable rugs in Iran. These rugs were woven according to Afshar tribal traditions, using local materials from the greater Kurdistan region.

In its design, colours, and weaving technique, this Afshar rug embodies the rug-weaving traditions of both the Afshar people and the Kurdish region, giving it a distinct and unmistakable character.

The region’s native wool was processed entirely by hand and traditionally dyed with vegetable dyes such as indigo, weld (dyer’s weed), madder, and others. These materials have transformed the rug into something resembling a painted canvas: a minimalist work of art that, despite its simplicity and restraint in detail, retains remarkable visual power and attraction.

The main field is formed through the repetition of an eight-petalled flower, a motif symbolizing the union of the four essential elements of life (earth, water, air, and fire) and the four cardinal directions. This repetition strengthens the symbolic dimension of the rug and makes its design particularly fascinating from a semiotic perspective.

The abrash within the motifs creates shifting variations of colour that, with a little imagination, recall stars twinkling across the night sky. The design began with a repeating motif and ultimately developed into a continuous allover composition, another distinctive feature that allows the rug to work effortlessly within almost any interior.

Three narrow borders of equal width and matching design surround the field. Their differing colour combinations create a complete and beautifully balanced frame, revealing the weaver’s creativity in both spatial composition and colour arrangement.

• Origin: Afshar tribe, Persia
• Age: Circa 1900s
• Materials: Wool pile on wool foundation
• Dimensions: 4' 3" x 5' 11"