Rugs From Iran - Village Weaves

The Kurdish town of Senneh (now Sanandaj) lies in the mountains some miles from the frontier with Iraq. Here, some of the thinnest and most sophisticated rugs you can find are woven - quite different to the thick, heavy carpets that are woven in many places in Kurdistan. The pile yarn, warp and weft threads are all extremely thin, and the knot count is very high. The Persian asymmetrical knot is known as the Senneh knot. Senneh is a small town with comparatively few weavers, and manufacturing takes a long time because the rugs are so fine that production is limited. There are few variations in patterns, which mainly consist of pink roses, herati, and mir-i-boteh motifs. Roses and boteh are woven in rows over the whole rug, while the herati motifs are used in medallions and the four corners. The predominant color in early rugs is indigo with plenty of subdued red; late 19th and early 20th century rugs are usually cream, soft red and pale green

Sarouk rugs are good quality, with the wool pile clipped short or medium-long. The designs are separated into traditional and American patterns. Traditional designs include the boteh and herati motifs, but the most impressive is the medallion and corner scheme. Early 20th century American designs feature large floral sprays, which radiate out from the central medallion. Ferahan carpets were the finest in west-central Iran in the 19th century, and the name was synonymous with the herati pattern (a rhomboid surrounded by four small fishes.

*sourced from 'Carpet Style' by Marty Phillips

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Senneh, Seneh, Senna Kilims, rugs and Carpets

I do not really know where the term “Senneh”, “Senna”, or “Seneh” comes from. All I know is that Senneh rugs and kilims come from the Iranian Kurdistan, on north west of Iran and from the neighboring towns and villages of Sanandadj, which is the capital of Kurdistan province. Some scholars believe that Senneh was the name of Sanandadj hundreds of years ago. That maybe or may not be true, but whatever the truth is, Senneh kilims and flat weaves are the most delicate and finely woven kilims of Iran or maybe the world.

Some of these beautiful kilims and even Senneh rugs are made on silk foundation. This can be seen on very old and antique pieces and the rainbow silk warps are usually in seven colors and shades. Occasionally, we have the great pleasure of receiving these pieces for cleaning and restoration.

Here, I am posting pictures of an antique Senneh carpet and another antique very delicate tapestry type Senneh kilim which we cleaned and restored recently. Each piece belonged to a different customer. I enjoyed having them in my possession for a couple of weeks. The Senneh kilim was badly damaged on several spots on the background. The fringes at the ends were also falling apart. We did “overcastting” to secure the fringes and the ends. The Senneh rug was very dirty with moth and larvae in it. The fringes were damaged and lose. Both of our customers who had these treasures were very happy with our hand cleaning and cosmetic rug repair jobs.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.RugIdea.com
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
310-770-9085