Khorāsān Carpet

Khorāsān carpet, handwoven floor covering made in the region of Khorāsān, in northeastern Iran. Herāt carpets are the classic carpets of the district. From the late 18th and early 19th centuries there are carpets in the herāti pattern, probably made in villages of the district. They show a repeat pattern of a lattice that peeps through a maze of blossoms and leaves, with a characteristic border showing pairs of smoothly curved split arabesques. These carpets are usually woven in juftī asymmetrical knotting (upon four warps) on a cotton foundation.

The designs of room-sized carpets made in Meshed (Mashhad), Bīrjand, and villages nearby are characterized by medallions that are often unusually round, grounds that revive the coiling stems of the Herāt classic carpets, and borders that show an unusual number of narrow stripes. Most of these carpets, too, are juftī knotted. Reds are dyed with cochineal, which, with the significant amount of blue used in the rugs, gives the carpets a purplish cast. The combination of soft wool and the inadequacies of construction has reduced their durability, however.