Antique Middle Eastern Animal Motif Tribal Rug
Located in Dekalb, IL
Handwoven tribal rug featuring a warm camel-colored field decorated with alternating horizontal registers of stylized animal and tree motifs. The composition includes llama- or goat-...
Wool
Antique Caucasian Kazak Rug with Bold Geometric Tribal Medallion Design
Located in Atlanta, GA
Measures: 4'8 x 7'2 Antique Caucasian Kazak Rug with Bold Geometric Tribal Medallion Design. Keivan Woven Arts/ rug/B25-0411-281, country of origin / type: Caucasus / Kazak, circa ...
Wool
5X7 Antique Persian Khamseh Rug Fine Shiraz tribal 137cm x 208cm c.1890
Located in New York, NY
This antique Persian Khamseh rug, woven circa 1890 in the Shiraz region, displays an exceptional Tree of Life composition enriched with stylized birds, animals, and geometric tribal ...
Wool
6x8 Vintage Versace-Style Baroque Wool Silk Rug 173x239cm Handmade Rug c.1980
Located in New York, NY
This vintage European rug, crafted circa 1980, features an elaborate Baroque Revival composition with ornate scrollwork and classical motifs. Woven in wool and silk, the design refle...
Wool, Silk
Antique Turkic Afshar Rug, Iranian, Azerbaijan
Located in New York, NY
Antique Turkic Afshar rug, Iranian, Azerbaijan. A low wool pile in Turkish knot tightly woven on an all wool base. A traditional repeat design alternating between the Classic dragon/...
Wool
Vintage Tribal Area Rug, circa 1970
Located in Northridge, CA
Vintage Tribal Area rug circa 1970 Measures: 6' 7" x 9' 7" Hand-knotted wool pile with abrash, cotton foundation Field: Cherry-red Border: Ivory Accent: Navy-blue, hunt...
Wool
Vintage Ivory Tribal Rug, circa 1940
Located in Northridge, CA
Vintage Tribal area rug, circa 1940 Measures: 3' 8" x 6' 3" Hand-knotted wool pile on a cotton foundation. Field: Ivory Border: Charcoal-black Accent: Dark-green, brown...
Wool
Persian Tribal Area Rug, circa 1940
Located in Northridge, CA
Persian tribal area rug circa 1940 Measures: 4' x 7' 10" Hand-knotted wool pile on a cotton foundation Field color: Rust Border color: Brown Accent color: Tan, Black, Gold, Light...
Wool
Tribal Persian Turkoman Area Rug, circa 1900
Located in Northridge, CA
Tribal Persian Turkoman area rug, circa 1900 Measures: 6' 11" x 9' 3" Hand-knotted wool pile, cotton foundation Field: Rust-Red Border: Rust-Red Accent: Ivory, Navy-Blue, Light-...
Wool
Square Tribal Turkoman Prayer Rug, circa 1960
Located in Northridge, CA
Small square Turkoman rrayer rug in a tribal design, circa 1960 Measures: 3' 1" x 3' 1" Hand-knotted wool pile on a cotton foundation. Field: Ivory Border: Cherry-red A...
Wool
Signed Kurdish Tribal Area Rug, circa 1900
Located in Northridge, CA
Signed Kurdish Tribal Area rug circa 1900 Measures: 6' 4" x 10' 1" Hand-knotted wool pile, cotton foundation Field: Deep-Red Border: Deep-Red Accent: Ivory, Navy-Blue, Teal-Green...
Wool
Tribal Persian Turkoman Area Rug, circa 1900
Located in Northridge, CA
Tribal Persian Turkoman area rug, circa 1900 Measures: 6' 6" x 10' 1" Hand-knotted wool pile, cotton foundation Field: Deep-Rust Border: Purple Accent: Ivory, Navy-Blue, Black, ...
Wool
Antique Persian Tribal Bukhara Rug, Dated 1909
Located in Northridge, CA
Antique Persian Tribal Bukhara rug Dated 1909 6' 6" x 9' 11" Hand-knotted wool pile on a cotton foundation Field Color: Cherry-Red Border Color: Cherry-Red Accent Colors: Black, ...
Wool
Persian Gabbeh Nomadic Tribal Rug "Little House"
Located in Northridge, CA
Persian Gabbeh, Nomadic Tribal Rug. Reads "Little House" Circa 1970 4' 7" x 6' 11" Hand-Knotted wool pile on a cotton foundation Field Color: Gold Border Color: Ivory Accent Col...
Wool
Tribal Kurdish Rug, Dated 1959
Located in Northridge, CA
Tribal Kurdish rug Dated 1959 Measures: 6' 9" x 10' 1" Hand-knotted wool pile on a cotton foundation Field: Raspberry-Red Border color: Royal-Blue Accent color: Orange, Navy-Blue...
Wool
Tribal Turkoman Rug, circa 1940
Located in Northridge, CA
Tribal Turkoman rug, circa 1940 Measures: 5' 1" x 9' 9" Hand-knotted, abrash wool pile on a cotton foundation. Field: Cherry-red Border color: Navy-blue Accent color: I...
Wool
Tribal Kurdish Rug, Dated 1940
Located in Northridge, CA
Tribal Kurdish rug, dated 1940. Measures: 6' 5" x 9' 6". Hand-knotted, abrash wool pile on a cotton foundation. Field: Cherry-red Border color: Raspberry-red Accent col...
Wool
Tribal Kurdish Rug, circa 1940
Located in Northridge, CA
Tribal Kurdish rug, circa 1940. Measures: 5' 7" x 8' 9" Hand-knotted wool pile on a cotton foundation Field: Charcoal-black Border color: Cherry-red Accent color: Ivory, burgundy...
Wool
Semi Antique Hamadan - Tribal Style Persian Rug - Rust
Located in Blacksburg, VA
Gorgeous 50's Hamadan 4' 6" x 7' Immaculate vintage tribal Style Persian rug hand-woven in the ancient area of Hamadan. This piece is an exceptional example of a classic design tha...
Wool
Antique Bakhtiari - Serapi Style, Tribal Persian Rug - Navy & Rust
Located in Blacksburg, VA
Charming Antique Bakhtiari Entry Rug 4' 7" x 6' 5" Lovely tribal style rug hand woven near the Zargos mountains in Iran.
Wool
Antique Viss / Arak - Tribal Persian Rug - Coral, Navy, Gold
Located in Blacksburg, VA
Gorgeous Antique Viss of Arak, Tribal Rug 5' 7" x 3' 7" Incredibly attractive Viss (Wiss) design rug woven in the Arak area. This Viss design is well recognized around the world an...
Wool
Vintage Tribal Rug with Duck Design, circa 1940
Located in Northridge, CA
Vintage tribal rug with duck design circa 1940 Measures: 5' 5" x 8' 3" Hand-knotted wool pile on a cotton foundation. Field: Cherry-red Border: Charcoal-black Accent: I...
Wool
Tribal Baluchi Area Rug, circa 1940
Located in Northridge, CA
Tribal Baluchi area rug circa 1940 Measures: 3' 10" x 7' 3" Hand-knotted wool pile, cotton foundation Field color: Plum Border color: Raspberry-red Accent color: Ivory...
Wool
Red Tribal Turkoman Rug, circa 1940
Located in Northridge, CA
Red tribal Turkoman rug, circa 1940. Measures: 6' 5" x 9' 5" Hand-knotted wool pile on a cotton foundation Field: Red Border color: Red Accent color: Midnight-blue, roy...
Wool
Tribal Persian Bakhtiari Rug, circa 1940
Located in Northridge, CA
Tribal Persian Bakhtiari rug circa 1940 Measures: 10' 8" x 13' 5" Hand-knotted wool pile on a cotton foundation Field: Rust-Red Border: Rust Accent: Ivory, Navy-Blue, Gold, Hunte...
Wool
Tribal Lori Area Rug, Dated 1959
Located in Northridge, CA
Tribal Lori area rug Dated 1959 Measures: 4' 11" x 9' 4" Hand-knotted wool pile, cotton foundation Field color: Rust-Red Border color: Light-Gold Accent color: Royal-Blue, Gray, ...
Wool
Unavailable
W 61.03 in L 104.73 in
Antique Persian Lori / Qashqai , Geometric Tribal Rug - Maroon / Plum
Located in Blacksburg, VA
Radiant 80+ Year Old Persian Lori / Qashqai Tribal Rug 5' x 8' 9" Absolutely captivating nomadic rug that appears to be a mix between the two major rug weaving nomads of Persia, Th...
Wool
Vintage Farahan - Persian Tribal Rug 5x7
Located in Blacksburg, VA
Immaculate 60's Persian Farahan - 4.5'x7' Featuring an intricate geometric floral design that is the signature of the weavers in that area. The carefully selected color pallet of ...
Wool
Small Neutral Contemporary Tribal Design Gabbeh Persian Wool Rug
By Qashqai Nomadic Tribe
Located in Key West, FL
Small neutral contemporary Tribal Design Gabbeh Persian wool rug. We couldn't resist this little, squarish neutral––almost white, but sprinkled with colorful flowers and speckles in ...
Wool
Small Red Contemporary Tribal Landscape Gabbeh Persian Wool Rug
By Qashqai Nomadic Tribe
Located in Key West, FL
Small red contemporary tribal landscape Gabbeh Persian wool rug. This landscape is unusual for several reasons. One is the color palette of rosy reds, as if it were a snapshot of sun...
Wool
Persian Antique Turkoman Tribal Rug with Abrash, circa 1930
Located in Northridge, CA
Persian antique Turkoman Tribal rug circa 1930 Measures: 5'6" x 9'10". Hand-knotted wool pile with abrash, on a cotton foundation Field color: Raspberry-Red Border color: Cherry-...
Wool
Small Blue Contemporary Tribal Landscape Gabbeh Persian Wool Rug
By Qashqai Nomadic Tribe
Located in Key West, FL
Small Blue Contemporary Tribal Landscape Gabbeh Persian Wool Rug. This landscape-themed Gabbeh appears to depict that weather transition between winter and spring, with icy blues col...
Wool
Make a bold statement in a living room or bedroom by incorporating vintage Persian rugs in your home decor.
A Persian carpet lends an aura of prestige to any room, even today. The fascination with Persian rugs dates at least as far back as the 4th century B.C., when historian Xenophon referred to the “soft rugs on which the Persians sit.” For centuries, Iran (modern-day Persia) has been known for the craftsmanship, intricate patterns and artistry of its carpets, which have found their way into households and museums around the world.
Although they have many imitators, real Persian rugs are made only in Iran and are easily recognized by their vibrant colors and elegant patterns.
Traditional, or antique, Persian rugs are what most people identify as “authentic.” Hand-made, they are very durable and, if properly cared for, can be passed down from generation to generation. Modern Persians, on the other hand, are often machine-made. Today’s carpets, Iranian or otherwise, can’t possibly match the level of craftsmanship that prevailed centuries ago, so historical Persian carpets will always be admired and highly valued.
Although the machine-aided production process is much faster and cheaper, the resulting rugs typically do not have the same quality or lifespan as handwoven ones, so traditional options are considered better investments.
To distinguish between the two, look for imperfections. Because traditional Persian rugs are handwoven, you will likely see small flaws on the front and back. With a machine-made imitation, on the other hand, you will probably not find stitching glitches, and the back will have a mesh or plastic covering.
Antique rugs are handmade from the finest materials, including wool, silk or cotton — never synthetic fibers. The fibers used in antique rugs are colored using natural dyes derived from insects and plants and woven into bold designs that reflect Iran’s culture and history. Since Persian tribes traditionally raised and herded sheep, wool was the most common material. The fiber has many advantages: It is fire-resistant and dries much more quickly than cotton. Also, because of its natural elasticity, it is more durable than cotton or silk. Regarded as works of art, Persian rugs can take months or years to complete.
The different types of Persian rugs are named for the cities, villages and regions where they’re made. Kashan rugs, for example, woven in the north-central Iranian city of Kashan, are considered among the finest city rugs, distinguished by curvilinear motifs like palmettos, leaves and arabesques. Nains have high knot counts, an indication of high quality, and generally employ pink, blue and ivory hues, while Tabriz rugs — created by weavers in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabrīz (or Tabriz) — mostly have floral and garden patterns.
When shopping for vintage Persian rugs, you'll want to consider color, size and more — for a history of these rugs and tips on how to style yours, visit our guide to these woven creations today.
Find Tabriz rugs, handmade silk Persian rugs, Persian tribal rugs and other antique and vintage rugs from the world's best furniture dealers on 1stDibs.