What is a Qashqai Rug?

Qashqai rugs bring a unique approach to the Persian rug market. The Qashqai find themselves adorned with prominent, thorough designs paired with luminous colors across their composition. An ancient history paired with an original antiquity look makes the Qashqai a distinctive member of the Persian rug family. For anyone seeking a centerpiece that will grab the eyes of all house guests, the Qashqai is the perfect candidate.

History of the Qashqai Rug

The Qashqai rug gains its namesake from the Qashgai tribe. The Qashgai tribe came to forge these carpets through their tribeswomen over the past 1,000 years. There are no recorded histories of the Qashgai, but the legends of their existence have been told throughout Chinese Turkestan. Around the 16th century, the Qashgai settled in the Fars province of Persia. Since then, their perseverance has faced the political upheaval of the past 300 years in full force, even forming their own republic, the Qashgai Confederacy, to maintain their freedom and removal from this volatility.

Materials and Texture

These rugs sport a completely wool finish.  By utilizing the wool, the rug is able to both last an incredibly long time, and have a durable structure. More-so, nearly all Qashqai rugs are paired with a red-dyed weft that aids the piece in exhibiting its thematic vibrant hues. These traits give the rug a firm, yet comfortable, overall texture.

The rugs are all-wool. The wool used in weaving traditional Qashqai rugs is usually of superior quality and hard wearing, which shows in the higher quality and longer lasting quality of the finished rug. The carpets are woven having asymmetric knots and the finished piece will usually feature deeply depressed warps with red-dyed wefts and a fine weave. A barber-pole selvage gives the edges a finished look and most rugs will feature a kelim at both ends. Most rugs made by the Qashqai weavers were medium sized, although you will see them in different sizes too.

Weaving Techniques

Due to their origins being steeped in Persia, the Qashqai rugs are woven with asymmetric knots--the common practice among Persian weavers. A unique trait to the Qashqai's craft is their deeply depressed warp. This, paired with the red dyed weft, creates an extremely original product that stands out among the market. The Qashqai are weaved over looms by several tribeswomen who normally sing, dance, and celebrate during the rug's entire construction. No weaver stays on the same loom necessarily--each aids one another, moving to one loom after another to aid in their building.

Design and Patterns

The Qashqai's defining feature balances between their emblazoned, bright colors and rigorous designs. On every inch of these carpets is a blend of brilliant hues that define its paired motifs. Aside from red, the other colors usually found in a Qashqai are a dark blue or light yellow. Medallions are a common theme woven across a Qashqai rug while paired with bold outlines on both the outer rim and interior. Another possible design is an array of intermittent diamonds surrounded by hooks entangling themselves across every inch of the rug's center.

Available Sizes

Qashqai rugs normally come in medium sizes, ranging up to 6 x 9. Qashqai rugs are regularly seen as the centerpiece of any environment due to their noticeable and standout-ish nature. They are sincerely dazzling pieces that will stand out no matter where you place them.