18000 Preston Rd. Dallas, TX 75252

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Persian Carpet VS Oriental Rug

Persian Carpet or Oriental Rug: What’s the Difference?

Behnam Rugs of Dallas is a fine rug dealer that sells Persian carpets and Oriental rugs. The words Persian carpet and Persian rug refer to the same thing. Both are handwoven artworks that are made in Persia (Iran). Oriental rugs have similar styles and patterns and are easily confused with Persian rugs. Only rugs that come from Iran can be called Persian rugs, a rug in the Persian style that comes from China or somewhere else in the East is known as an Oriental rug.

A Persian carpet (Persian: فرش ايرانى‎ farsh, meaning “to spread”) or Persian rug (Persian: قالی ايرانى qālī-ye īranī), also known as Iranian carpet, is a heavy textile made for a wide variety of utilitarian and symbolic purposes and produced in Iran (historically known as Persia).

Fine Persian and Oriental rugs can be hard to come by, they are found often in wealthy homes, museums, and fine art galleries. Yet Behnam Rugs carries an array of fine handmade rugs in the heart of Dallas, Texas. Our gallery features hundreds of Persian and Oriental rugs, so you’re sure to find the right one for your home.

THE PERSIAN EMPIRE AND PERSIAN RUGS

The Persian Empire spread out over many areas and today these parts include Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, part of India, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and part of Egypt. However, a true Persian rug comes from Iran, and from anywhere else it is an Oriental rug. Persian rugs have many designs, each with its own name. The name indicates the city the rug was made in. Popular Iranian cities that produce rugs include Tabriz, Isfahan, Karastan, and more.

WARP AND WEFT IN A PERSIAN RUG

Persia is the world’s leading rug exporter. The most famous Persian carpets from cities such as Hamadan, Mashad, Kerman, Shiraz, and Bidjar.

Some rugs are made from cotton for the warp & weft which make of the foundation, while the pile may be wool or silk. Some tribal rugs use wool in their foundation, and fine and intricate rugs often use silk as the foundation.

Weft is the horizontal, thicker fiber that seal the knots into the warp. Warp describes the vertical threads going up and down. The warp fibers are usually stretched on the loom.

Genuine Persian rugs receive a double weft and in turn, the pile is stronger.

RUG KNOT IN AN ORIENTAL RUG

Authentic Persian rugs are woven with the “Senneh knot”. The Senneh knot is made with a hook, goes under 1 weft and over the second weft, then the fiber is pulled from under the top and cut. With the Senneh knot, a beautiful wavy rug pattern can be created. The majority of the soft floral patterns are made with the Senneh knot. A Persian rug can be made with a single weft on either side of the Senneh knot. A strong rug will have a double weft interlocking the Senneh knot row with the weft below and weft above. This is called a double weft.

The majority of Turkish rugs are made with a “Turkish knot” known as the “Ghiordes knot,” which is a knot used in making carpets and rugs in which the two ends of the pile yarn appear together at the surface between the two adjacent warp yarns around which they are twisted.” These Ghiordes knots produce Geometric patterns.

Looking for that perfect rug? Fill out our rug request form.

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For more information visit our showroom at18000 Preston Road, Dallas, TX 75252 or call us at 972-733-0400

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