Lori Rug

Lori Rug
Design of Lori Rug (Rugman)
General information
Name	Lori Rug
Original name	قالی لری
Alternative name(s)	Lori Carpet
Origin	Iran: Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Fars, Isfahan, Markazi
Category	Trabil, Village
Technical information
Common designs	Geometric
Common colors	Red, Brown, Navy Blue, Beige
Dyeing method	Natural, Synthetic
Pile material	Wool
Foundation material	Cotton, Wool, Goat Hair
Knot type	Symmetrical (Turkish), Asymmetrical (Persian)

Lori rugs, woven by people living in Lorestan in the western part of Iran, are tribal traditional rugs. The Lori, or Luri as they are sometimes referred to, have lived happily as nomads for over 600 years, free from the constraints of our modern culture. Linguistically Persian, Lori weavers create traditional rugs in designs and styles similar to those created by the Kurds. Still living as they did hundreds of years ago, Lori rugs are woven with handmade tools following the time honored traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation over centuries. Lori rugs are flat-woven, meaning that it is a textile without a pile. Flat weave is a technique of weaving where no knots are used. Instead the warp strands are used as the foundation of the traditional rugs and the weft stands are used as both part of the foundation and in creating the patterns. The weft strands are woven through the warp strands.

Materials

Foundation and Pile

The warp on Lori rugs is mostly cotton, while the weft is wool. Although available in a wide range of sizes they are most frequently mid-size

Techniques and structures

Color and dyeing

The colors of Lori rugs, typically created with vegetable coloring are predominantly deep blues, reds, and oranges.

Motifs and patterns

Although most Lori rugs feature floral designs, it is also quite common to see geometric patterns as well. They have created distinctive interpretations of the Mina Khani pattern (the design field is covered with daisies connected together with lines that form diamonds or circles in an all-over layout) and other floral patterns, occasionally using creative bird imagery and interlocking design units. The designs on Lori rugs, although varied, tend to feature all-over layouts. The fringes are often beautifully braided.

Bibliography

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