NORTHWEST PERSIAN RUGS

Vintage Shahsavan Horse Soumak (D0201) 38"x54. This all wool-on-wool Soumak piece, made in northwest Persia, features beautifully 'drawn' horses in rows from the top to the bottom of the piece. These items were often used with saddles. The Shahsavan people are known for their horsemanship and love of horses. This piece is perfect for displaying on a wall or as a table covering. The weave is “soumak”.  Some westerners call it “brocade”.  This method of weaving is typical of the Shahsevan who almost never produced a pile or knotted rug (or, if they did, very few survive to be found).  A beneficial consequence of the soumak weave is that the images on this rug are very clearly defined and sharply delineated.  Many (indeed most) oriental or ‘Persian’ rugs are pile carpets.  That means that the pile is knotted between warps (vertical strands) (either symmetrically or unsymmetrically) and held in place by one or more wefts pulled down horizontally across the knots.  However, in a soumak rug such as this the yarn/weft is woven across / twisted around the warps.  Often, but not always, two warps are taken at a time.  There are no ‘knots’ per se.  Sometimes this method is called ‘braiding”.  An advantage of soumak weaving is that the images woven into the rug are very sharply defined and delineated, as can be seen in this rug.