Title:

Baluch Rug
Torbat-e Haidari Region
Northeast Persia
Size:
 2’ 5” x 4’
Circa:
 1880
Cat. #:
325

 
Description:

This rug, woven in the Baluch-style, is a rare surviving tribal weaving of nomadic origin.

The field is camel wool.  The botehs have serrated outlines and face in opposite directions in alternating rows. These features identify the rug as having been woven in Torbat-e Haidari region of Khorasan.

Portions of the original side wrapping have survived.  The wrap consists of camel or goat hair, a feature one sees in rugs of tribal origin. 

There are some interesting anomalies in the rug. The botehs are of two distinct types.  Some are of the ‘flat bottom’ variety.  Others have ‘pot-bellies’ with long thin ‘necks’. The various botehs are not consistent in size or shape. There are several inchoate boteh forms used as secondary motifs.

The rug has two main or primary borders of approximately equal dimensions.  Two border stripes frame the main borders. At the bottom, one sees that the border design started with the  ‘ram’s horn’ design but soon changed to ‘S’ shape motifs.

The colors are from all natural dye sources.

Condition: The pile is evenly low.  There are no holes or damage to the foundation.  Substantial portions of the original plain weave ends have survived.  There are areas of the ends that have been re-enforced with backing.
Structure:
Warps:
 Wool, natural ivory and light brown.  Two very fine strands are plied.  There is no warp displacement (depression).
 
Wefts:

Wool, natural brown.  There are two wefts between each row of knots.
 
Knots:
Symmetrical
 
Sides:

In the original, foundation warps were bundled into four cords. These cords were wrapped in camel or goat hair in a figure ‘8’ configuration.  Portions of the sides are not original.  Portions have been re-wrapped with wool.  Portions are in need of re-wrapping.
 
Ends:

Plain weave with stripes decorated with extra weft wrapping.
 
Handle:

The bottom consists of approximately four inches of plain weave and approximately two inches of weft-substitution weave.
Price:
$850
Comments:

The asymmetrical knot is the knot commonly used by those who weave rugs in the Baluch-style.

The knots in this rug are symmetrical.

The symmetrical knot was used mainly in the northern regions of Khorasan, including Tobat-e Haidari.

It was also used in the Khorasan region by various ethnic Baluch tribes, by Kurds and by various assimilated tribal groups.