Sarouk blue antique rug 6.5 x 4.1 ft / 198 x 125 cm 14018

 

Sarouk (also Saruk, Sarough or Sarogh) is one of the best-known carpet manufacturing areas. Located in the western Persian province of ARAK, it includes the carpet provenances of Arak, Djozan, Ghiasabad, Mahal, Malayer, Mohajeran, Sultanabad and Wiss. The old and antique carpets of the Mahal and Malayer types, which were knotted between 1880 and 1930, are particularly sought after by collectors.

The so-called “American Sarouk”, which were knotted between 1900 and 1940 specifically for the American market, are considered a special case of carpet weaving in Iran. These carpets with a floral pattern without a central medallion, reduced in colors to rust, red, dark blue and some brown/beige tones, have been increasingly exported from the USA to Europe since the 1970s and are referred to here as "re-imports". Typical for this type of carpet is a very good quality of wool from the Persian highlands. The under fabric - warp and weft - are usually made of cotton. A blue weft thread is often found in old and antique carpets. The Persian knot is usually used for knotting. Blue-based carpets are significantly rarer and therefore more expensive than comparable carpets in rust or red.

The knot density varies between 90,000 knots for coarse Mahal carpets and 640,000 knots for particularly high-quality Sarough Ghiasabad carpets.