Nehavand Rug

Nehavand Rug
Design of Nehavand Rug (Rugman)
General information
Name	Nehavand Rug
Original name	قالی نهاوند
Alternative name(s)	Nehavand Carpet (Mosul Rug)
Origin	Iran: Hamadan
Category	Village
Technical information
Common designs	Medallion, Geometric, Herati
Common colors	Navy Blue, Red, Blue, Beige
Dyeing method	Natural, Synthetic
Pile material	Wool
Foundation material	Cotton
Knot type	Symmetrical (Turkish), Asymmetrical (Persian)

Nehavand is a Persian tribal rug hand-woven rug, made by in the village of Nehavand, which is north of the town of Hamedan, in Northwestern Iran. Most of the Nehavands made are about 5 feet by 8 feet. They don't usually come in very large sizes because the weavers use simple horizontal looms on the ground and it is extremely difficult to construct bigger rugs. They feature floral spray designs and geometric patterns, often in a rust or reddish salmon color. The fame of the Nehavand is greatly due to the quality of the wool used to weave it. The thick soft and lustrous pile always shines under the light. Most Nehavands are soft enough for a baby to sleep on. This is a one of a kind hand made tribal rug, which has no duplicates anywhere.

History

Nehavand, also spelled Nahavand, is a town located in Hamadan Province of western Iran. Nehavand rugs are known in the market from the early twentieth century. They are categorized as one of the many Hamadan mosui. Rugs. These Mosul weavings were successfully marketed abroad as competition for the Caucasian and Anatolian (Turkish) rugs of the era.
Nehavand rugs have semigeometric tribal designs in medallion or allover styles. The motifs include palmettes with leaves and vines, flower heads, and a variety of animals, birds, and human figures. Sometimes primitive tribal design elements are woven into the field and borders.
Most rugs have a dark blue color background, but reds or ivory are also used. In addition, blues, reds, browns, camel, gold, and greens are used for the borders and design motifs. Dark blue or dark brown outline the designs.
Formats range from small mats to rugs in sizes of approximately seven feet by four feet six inches. Occasionally, runners were made in a variety of lengths. The rugs have a cotton foundation and a wool pile tied with the Turkish (symmetric) knot. Nehavand weavings generally are woven in grade qualities of good to fine. Early Nehavand rugs measuring approximately four feet by seven feet can have a market value up to $5,000.
By the last quarter of the twentieth century, some Nehavand weavers switched from making traditional designs in order to create rugs and carpets similar to those of neighboring areas to better satisfy domestic and foreign export consumer demand.

See also

Search for Nehavand Rug on Wikipedia.

Bibliography

1. Abraham Levi Moheban. 2015. The Encyclopedia of Antique Carpets: Twenty-Five Centuries of Weaving. NewYork: Princeton Architectural Press.