Joshaqan Rug

Joshaqan rug, floor covering handmade in the village of Joshaqan (Jowsheqān), north of Eṣfahān in central Iran. An astonishing mélange of rugs has been attributed by various writers to this small place, including Kermān vase carpets and other silk rugs, together with sundry rugs of pronounced Kurdish characteristics.

The one pattern that is known to have been used habitually is a subdivision of the field into diamond panels, each of which contains an individual shrub or group of blossoms. This pattern may be adapted to a medallion format or enriched with elongated, bizarrely shaped panels. The border features arabesques. Joshaqan rugs are asymmetrically knotted on a cotton foundation.