What is a Kashan Rug?

Persian rugs are famous within the carpet marketplace, standing renowned for their beautiful works all over. There are various styles and titles of Persian carpets—among them is the Kashan, one of the oldest and finest on the market. Their silk designs are one of a kind, and for anyone looking to make their first Persian rug purchase, the Kashan is a fantastic choice.

 

History behind the Kashan Rug

 

The Kashan rugs surfaced from one of the oldest cities, Kashan, Iran, that shares its namesake. The origin of the Kashan dates back to the 17th century though some experts believe that some of the Kashan’s designs draw back to the 16th century.

Sales of the Kashan across domestic and international markets began around the 19th century. As sales rose, Kashan rugs fell into the spotlight, becoming a regularly utilized piece across households and collections worldwide. They continue to sell extremely well and be considered as one of the finest Persian carpets.

 

Materials and Texture

 

  

A Kashan rugs’ foundations are usually cotton, though their older pieces are made from pure silk. The body frame is crafted with wool that sometimes has silk mixed within. The finished texture of Kashan rugs is normally tight, yet soft to the touch. Normally, a Kashan rug would utilize vegetable dyes to provide this unique texture, but newer incarnations utilize chemical dyes that don’t necessarily give it the same allure.

 

Weaving techniques

  

 

The warp and weft of these rugs are made of cotton. They are woven to have 120 knots per square inch to a maximum of around 840 knots per square inch. The weaving technique is traditional Persian asymmetrical knots—the more knots, the higher the quality.

 

Designs and Patterns

The Kashan rugs are given pastel tones to evoke neutral and subtle effect. The patterns are fleshed out with predominant shades of red, blue, indigo and ivory. Some of the rugs also use the effect of color shading in its weaving technique to add another level of depth. Specifically, Kashan rugs possessing oft greens and blues on red blue or indigo backdrops are incredibly popular.

The common design of a Kashan centers around a medallion—curve linear motifs like palmettos, leaves and arabesques designs encompass it throughout its surface area. From the medallion, the work across the rug’s body is densely designed, giving it a thorough amount of character and originality that sets it apart from other Persian rug styles.

 

Available Sizes

 

Kashan rugs are available in a wide range of sizes, but they are most commonly found in room format or area sizes of 4x6 feet and 8x10 feet. Check out our Kashan rugs for sale.