Karadja Rug

Karadja Rug
Design of Karadja Rug (Rugman)
General information
Name	Karadjah Rug
Original name	قالی قراجه
Alternative name(s)	Karadja Carpet
Origin	Iran: East Azerbaijan
Category	Village, Tribal
Technical information
Common designs	Medallion, Geometric
Common colors	Ultramarine, Red, Beige, Green, Blue, Ivory, Brown
Dyeing method	Natural, Synthetic
Pile material	Wool
Foundation material	Cotton
Knot type	Symmetrical (Turkish)

Gharadjeh rugs are hand woven by nomads that live between the Caspian Sea and Tabriz. This region in Iran is known for being the most influential area in the world when it comes to the development of the modern day rug industry. These beautiful and durable rugs come in very long lengths, making them ideal for use as a stair runner. In North America the stair runner is much more commonly used than in Europe, but the trend is definitely catching on. Men and women of the tribe are both trained as skilled weavers. The Turkish knot is the one most commonly used on Gharadjeh rugs and the average KPSI (knots per square inch) is approximately 53.

History

Karadja Iran (Persia). Karadja, also spelled Karaja, is a village located in the East Azerbaijan Province of northwestern Iran. The population is Azeri in origin, speaking a Turkic dialect. Karadja rugs and carpets are known in the market from the last quarter of the nineteenth century. These weavings are categorized in the Heriz carpet group.
Karadja carpet designs are geometric, with either a medallion or allover style. In general, these carpets are known to have one, two, or three medallions in the center field or multiple pendants throughout the field. Karadja medallions have their own design characteristics. One type of medallion has large pendants surrounded by Hook motifs. Another type has a square or rectangular shape that features symbolic tombs on each side. This medallion highlights the weaver's imagination, with the representation of a mosque woven into the design. The field and medallion interior motifs feature Star and S motifs, flower heads, leaves, animals, birds, and other patterns. Karadja borders have Shrub motifs, flower heads, palmettes, or other tribal elements.
Karadjas have overwhelmingly dark blue fields. A small percentage has reds or ivory in the field. In addition, different shades of blue, green, cinnamon, camel, and brown are seen in the borders and design elements. Black and dark browns are used for design outlines.
Karadja carpets have a cotton foundation and a wool pile. Early pieces can be found with a wool weft or both a cotton and wool weft in the same weaving. The Turkish (symmetric) knot is always employed.
Formats range from small mats to carpets approximately eighteen feet by twelve feet. The majority of weavings are in the standard dimensions of six feet by four feet and twelve feet by nine feet. Karadja runners and gallery formats are more common than other Heriz group weavings. The carpets are woven from medium to very good in grade quality.
Karadja carpet production has increased since the 1920s for the domestic and Western markets. Some nineteenth-century Karadja carpets are called "Serapis" in the trade because of the similarity to Heriz designs, which evoke Mexican serapes. These attractive nineteenth-century pieces bring a high price in the open market.

See also

Search for Karadja Rug on Wikipedia.

Bibliography

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