TABRIZ

Tabriz is one of the main rug-producing cities in Iran. It is located at 1348 meters above sea level in the north-western part of the country at the foot of the Sahan Mountains, not far from the Turkish border and 150 km from the border with Azerbaijan. Rug production in this city has an ancient tradition, furthermore thanks to the influences deriving from its geographic position, Tabriz rugs have a great variety of decorations. Even the quality ranges from the most coarsely knotted to masterpieces that reach the peaks of craftsmanship. The fineness of the knotting is measured in radj: one radj is a unit of length equal to roughly 7 cm. One radj may contain from 25 to 70 knots; the measuring scale is a square with each side equal to one radj. Therefore, a 25 radj Tabriz rug will have approximately 127,000 knots per square, while a 70 radj Tabriz will have 1,000,000 knots per square meter. These numbers clearly explain the huge quality differences between these two types.
DESIGNS
The designs on these rugs vary considerably: alongside of the classic models with medallions, corner-pieces and vase motifs that date from the Safavid period, there are prayer and garden rugs as well as others with full-field herati designs. Tabriz also produces figured rugs decorated with landscapes or hunting scenes similar to those dating from the Safavid period.