Persian Kashan Rug

Kashan is right in the middle of Iran, an oasis city that depends on nearby mountains for its water supply. It is interesting to note that many of the houses are below ground for protection against the heat, and also the scorpions!

The weavers of Kashan have more than 500 years of experience in producing beautiful carpets and rugs, more or less continually. The fame of these rugs was so widespread that in the 1500′s and 1600′s the city had Royal workshops which provided for Kings from all over the world who came in person to buy a Persian Kashan rug.

There is one specimen that can be seen in the Royal and Albert museum in London, England and is said to date from 1542.

Rug manufacturing took second place to garment manufacturing during the 1800′s but it wasn’t long before rug production was back in ascendancy.

You can easily recognize a Persian Kashan rug because of the small number of colors and most of the designs feature a diamond shape in the middle. The colors are mostly ivory, red, navy blue and a little green. Sometimes you can find ocre, olive green, white and maybe brown.

The combination of these colors gives a very pleasing design, quite soft, not bold in any way that makes it very good for use with classical decor.

You will find that the carpets usually have a cotton base of weft and warp with wool worked onto this base to present a tight, short and thin woolen pile. The best examples are definitely the ones produced from silk. Any other carpet with over 700 knots per square inch plus the silk ones are rare and you will have to pay a price in accordance with this rarity.

The Persian Kashan rug has to be one of the most exquisite examples of the rug weaver’s art, but you must be vigilant and be aware that there are fakes around. These are made from chemically dyed materials and have a low ratio of knots per square inch.

If you want the beauty of a Persian Kashan rug in your home just beware the fakes. If you want a rug that will become your family heirloom take care to buy carefully and avoid being cheated by being supplied with a fake.