Identification
Most Long Island owners call every hand‑knotted rug "Persian." Many are Turkish, Afghan, Pakistani or Indian, and the difference matters at the wash pit. Here are the four things we look at.
Fold the rug back on itself along a row and look at the base of the pile. A Persian (asymmetric) knot shows one loop per knot with the two pile ends emerging together on one side; a Turkish (symmetric) knot shows two small bumps per knot. Most Iranian city rugs use the asymmetric knot; Turkish rugs, Caucasian rugs and the Heriz, Tabriz and Bidjar weaves of northwest Iran use the symmetric one. Afghan Turkoman rugs are asymmetric.
Persian city rugs are wool on cotton, with silk in the finest. Turkish rugs run to softer, longer, more lustrous wool, on cotton in the 20th century and wool in village pieces. Afghan Turkoman rugs are wool on wool with a glossy, dense, closely clipped pile; Afghan Chobi rugs are hand‑spun wool on cotton with a dry, matte hand.
Persian city rugs: curvilinear medallions, arabesques, florals, in red, navy, ivory and a broad palette. Turkish: soft pastels and large‑scale designs in Oushaks, bold geometry and prayer niches in village rugs. Afghan Turkoman: rows of octagonal guls on deep red. Chobi and Peshawar: faded Oushak and Mahal designs in vegetable‑look dyes.
Persian rugs usually have a short kilim end and cotton fringe; Turkish village rugs have braided or knotted wool ends; Turkoman rugs have long plain‑weave ends, sometimes with a separate design band.
Turkish wool felts if agitated; it gets the lowest‑agitation wash. Kashan reds and Turkoman reds migrate; they get cold water and a stabilizer. Chobi tints are not fast; they are tested in several places. Wool‑foundation ends unravel; they are secured before the wash. Identifying the rug is the first stage of the process at the Farmingdale plant, and it is why every rug is inspected before it is priced.
Pakistani and Indian rugs copy all of the above; the Pakistani and Indian pages explain how to tell them apart.
Drop‑offs welcome any day; call ahead and you can watch the dye test.
Yes, from northwest Iran, but it uses the symmetric knot like a Turkish rug. Origin and knot are different things.
Cleaning is priced by square foot, fiber and condition, not by origin; a Persian and a Pakistani rug of the same size and wool cost the same to clean.
Usually, from a clear photo of the back and a folded corner showing the knots. Send it with your quote request.