Baluch Rug

Baluch rugs are tribal, hand-woven in the eastern part of Iran by nomadic Baluchi tribes. The majority of them are made in the province Sistan and Baluchistan, which sits on the extreme south east border. A lot of Baluch rugs also come out of Iran's vast province of Khorassan which is just to the north near Afghanistan, and tend to be marketed in Mashad. Colors of Baluch rugs are usually predominantly a rich burgundy with some very dark navy blue and accents of beige. They frequently have either an overall pattern, tree-of-life, etc., or a prayer rug design.

History

Baluch (Baluchi) The Baluch, also known as Baluchi, is a population largely living scattered throughout three neighboring countries. They inhabit the provinces of KHORASAN and SISTAN AND BALUCHESTAN in eastern Iran, western and central areas of AFGHANISTAN, and western PAKISTAN. While some Baluch people reside in villages and cities, there are those that still live a transient nomadic lifestyle in these three regions.
The Baluch population was scattered in eastern Iran and the neighboring countries either by enforced occupation or by traditional nomadic travels. Some of the Baluch people have an Arab heritage that can be traced back to the Arab invasion of Persia during the mid-seventeenth century CE. Another branch of the Baluch population originates fr nomadic tribes who moved from eastern Turkestab south to Khorasan. A third Baluch group has a background in eastern Anatolia (Turkey) and Azerband The Baluch people have kept their heritage alive continuing to follow the Sunni Islamic faith and by speaking the original languages of Turkic, Farsi, and Arabic. Generally, the Baluch tribes work in agriculture, raising livestock and herding sheep. The women traditionally weave tribal items, along with rugs and carpets.
Baluch rugs are known in the market from the carly nineteenth century.