Afshar Rugs

Alternative name(s): Sirjan Rug,Sirjan Carpet

Afshar rugs (also known as Sirjan rugs) are handwoven tribal rugs made by the nomadic Afshar tribes of southern Iran.

Even in the trade for oriental rugs, Afshars are frequently confused with Shiraz Rugs. They do have a striking resemblance in look. Afshar weavers like vibrant colours to liven up their primary homes and tents and Afshars are often smaller. An authentic Afshar rug is a one-of-a-kind and timeless piece of art with geometric patterns that is sure to liven up any space.

The Turkic Afshar tribe, a semi-nomadic population, primarily located in the hilly highlands around modern-day Iranian Azerbaijan, produces Afshar, a handwoven rug style. this rug type is still popular in the western world.

These carpets are a fantastic complement to today's modern decorating trends because of their geometric components. Afshar Persian carpets have a unique feature: they are generally quite extensive in design with detailed patterns.

Because of the tightly hammered double-weft technique used in weaving, Sirjan Afshar carpets are incredibly durable. Sirjan also produces pileless rugs, primarily for personal usage.

Sirjan carpets are made using a flatweave technique. Instead, the warp strands serve as the foundation, while the weft stands serve as a foundation and a pattern generator in this type of carpet weaving. Weft strands are intertwined with warp strands. Piled Sirjan carpets, on the other hand, are woven with a symmetrical knot at a density of about 100 KPSI (knots per square inch).

There is a wide range of designs to choose from, but they're generally geometric, with Turkestan tribal influences. Rosettes occasionally appear alongside the very straight designs.

They usually have a stylised 'Botteh' picture (a historic Persian design that looks like a cluster of leaves) as the focal element and a prominent geometric arrowhead and floral border pattern, which is occasionally interwoven within a lattice of leaves.

The geometric pear and chickens are widely used as border patterns in Afshar design forms, often against an ivory coloured background.

Whether a central medallion or a design is scattered across the carpet is totally up to the knotter's imagination.

Afshar weavers like vibrant colours to liven up their primary homes and tents.

These carpets have a big flatwoven kilim with multi-coloured wefts at each end and are expertly woven.

Reds, ivory and blue colour tones are used as background colours in Afshar carpets. Medallions, borders, corners, flower heads and other design elements are also done in gold, green, turquoise, cinnamon, brown and black tones. For motif and border outlines, dark brown or black is used.

These rugs generally have a wool pile and a wool foundation; however, after World War II, many weavers from Sirjan switched to a cotton foundation.

The Afshari were initially from Azerbaijan and were deported to the remote Kerman Province (there are also Afshar people in the Bidjar area) by Shah Tahmasp sometime in the sixteenth century (AD. 1514-1576).

The Afshari has mostly settled into communities in recent years, with only a handful remaining nomadic. These nomads lived in the northwest of Iran for hundreds of years, but a portion of the tribe was forced to relocate to where carpet manufacture is now.

Afshar rugs have been around since the mid-nineteenth century, according to the antique market.