Ferdos Rug
| Ferdos Rug | |
|---|---|
 Design of Ferdos Rug (Rugman) | |
| General information | |
| Name | Ferdos Rug |
| Original name | قالی فردوس |
| Alternative name(s) | Ferdos Carpet |
| Origin |  Iran: Khorasan |
| Category | Village |
| Technical information | |
| Common designs | Geometric, Tree |
| Common colors | Red, Begie, Blue |
| Dyeing method | Natural, Synthetic |
| Pile material | Wool |
| Foundation material | Cotton |
| Knot type | Asymmetrical (Persian) |
Ferdos rugs originate from Ferdos, a small town in the Province of Khorassan in northeastern Iran. Rug weaving in Khorasan goes back thousands of years. Ferdos boasts the first tribal members to weave traditional rugs for personal use as well as for trade. Ferdos rugs predominantly feature the Tree of Life design, one of the oldest and most cherished designs, though geometric designs can be found. Traditional rugs from Ferdos have a color palette of blues, reds, and beiges from all natural dyes.
History
Ferdos, also spelled Ferdows, is a town located in the Khorasan Province of eastern Iran and is mostly populated by Arab Baluch tribes. In the antique market older Ferdos rugs are known as Arab Boft, which means, “woven by Arab Baluch tribe members.”
Before World War II Ferdos formats ranged from tribal items to PRAYER RUGS. After the war many of the Ferdos weavers began to make a new style of rugs and carpets sizes were extended to room dimensions. This nomadic style with simple coloration became successful and was in demand in Western markets.
Meshad dealers for Western clients commissioned some of these room-size carpets. Generally, Ferdos woven rugs are low in grade quality and they were lower in price compared to all other Baluch tribal rugs woven in KHORASAN.[1]
Materials
Foundation and Pile
Ferdos rugs have a wool foundation and a wool pile; afterWorld War II the foundations were mostly made with cotton.[2]
Techniques and structures
Color and dyeing
older ferdos weavings usually contain red or dark blue colorations for the background. In addition to these colors, ivory, orange, blue, gray, and brown are included for the design motifs and borders. After the war many of the Ferdos weavers began to make a new style of rugs and carpets with natural sheep wool colors of white, brown, and black.[3]
Motifs and Designs
The medallion, palmette, and Minakhani (rosette-linked trellis) designs were especially popular in the older ferdos weavings. After the war ferdos rugs have a simple allover or medallion design, or, at times, an Open Field style.[4]
Weaving techniques
The Persian (asymmetric) knot is the weaving technique employed.[5]
See also
References
Bibliography
- Abraham Levi Moheban, (2015), The Encyclopedia of Antique Carpets: Twenty-Five Centuries of Weaving, NewYork: Princeton Architectural Press.
- Ferdos rugs, JOZAN: Rug news and antique rugs.