There are rugs that document a people…and this is one of them.
The Afshar were a semi-nomadic Turkic tribe of southern Persia. They were fierce, itinerant, gifted weavers who carried their looms and their stories across the landscape. They wove without cartoons or patterns drawn on paper, working entirely from memory and tradition, passing designs down through generations of hands. The Afshar as a distinct tribal weaving culture is largely gone now. What remains are their rugs. This is one of the survivors.
Woven circa 1910, this piece has lived more than a century and it shows it, beautifully. The rust-red field is rich and warm, showcasing a triple medallion layout of ivory-ground diamond forms filled with bold cross-and-comb tribal symbols…the kind of ancient geometric language that predates writing. The deep midnight navy border runs an unbroken procession of tribal motifs including rosettes, stepping forms, hooked diamonds, all dense and alive, never repeating the same way twice. A smaller blue ground zone below the main field adds another layer of pattern: more diamonds, more symbols, more of that nomadic restlessness that never quite lets the eye settle. This rug has a lot going on and we're here for it.
Look closely at the blue ground section and you’ll notice the space between the field and border is slightly wider on one side than the other. This is not a mistake. This is what handmade looks like. A nomadic weaver working on a ground loom, without ruler or grid, guided only by eye and instinct and the living tension of the wool…that gentle asymmetry is the proof of it. It is the human hand in every knot.
The vegetable dyed wool has aged into tones that no factory could replicate...that particular depth of rust, the blue that has softened into something almost smoky, the ivory that has warmed to cream. Low pile, worn with age, gloriously so. Character accumulated over 115 years. The border has a slight natural wave to it...again, handmade, organic, alive.
This is a rug for someone loves storied & worn. Worn is earned. While it won't be the ideal rug for the entry, it actually could serve, but this old gem will be better in a slightly quieter spot.
The Rug Rundown…
the wool…the weave…the wear
Exact Size: 5'9 × 7'
Material: Vegetable dyed wool
Construction: Hand knotted, nomadic tribal
Origin: Persian Afshar, South Persia
Age: c.1910
Design: Triple ivory medallion, continuous tribal border, blue ground lower panel
Condition: Low pile, worn with age and character throughout. Natural asymmetry and border wave consistent with nomadic handmade construction. One of a kind.
:: Please consider a rug pad for this old beauty, to keep it protected and wiggle free. Click below if you want to add one at BPR and we will custom cut it to size:
Medium Rug Pad
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