ORIENTAL RUG CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS

The first of the 2 common Oriental Rug construction elements is the foundation, which typically consists of the following parts: warps and wefts.

Warp Threads

These are the threads or cords which are wrapped around the loom and run the length of the rug. They will usually be exposed as fringes or selvages at the ends of the rug.

Depressed Warps

Depressed warps occur when the wefts are pulled tightly from either side rather than put in with minimal tension. This will displace the warps into 2 levels. This structure (an upper warp and a lower or ‘depressed’ warp) will be more evident on the back of the rug unless the wefts are pulled very tight and then the depressed warps may not be visible even on the back of the rug. 

This type of weaving can be found in many city rugs, especially Persian ones, resulting in a denser weave that is less flexible and should lie flat on the floor without any buckling or wrinkling (depending on the tension of the loom). These make an excellent choice for room-sized rugs in high traffic areas.

Weft Threads

These are inserted along the width of the loom and are placed perpendicular to the warp threads, making a crosshatch pattern of the foundation of the rug.

Knots

A row of knots is tied onto the warp threads. One or more weft threads are then placed over each row of knots and are beaten down by the weaver to hold them in place.

Sides

When the rug is completed, the rug is usually cut from the loom. The sides formed by the wefts may have to be secured by a finishing process chosen by the weaver, usually referred to as the serging.

The pile is the second of the Oriental Rug construction elements and is formed by the yarn pieces that are hand-knotted onto the warps of the foundation of the rug. As noted above, one or more weft threads are placed over each row of knots and beaten down to hold them in place.

The knots of the rug create the specific pattern of each rug. These knots are usually tied in one of 2 ways:

Symmetric Knot

This knot is also called the Turkish or Ghiordes knot from its origin in Turkey. A yarn is placed in a loop around each of 2 warp cords, forming a knot which opens in the middle.

The symmetric knot is often used for thicker rugs because it provides a stronger consistency. It can be found in Turkey, the Caucasian area, and in the western parts of Iran, usually by Turkish and Kurdish tribes. It can also be found in some European rugs.

Asymmetric Knot

This knot is also called the Persian or Senneh knot. The yarn is placed in a loop around one of the warp threads and remains loose under the other. The 2 ends can emerge on either side of the warp. Again, between every row of knots, one or more weft threads are placed and are beaten down onto the knots to hold them securely.

The asymmetric knot makes possible the weaving of rugs with more details and with a higher density of knots.

The asymmetric knot can be found in Persian workshops in Iran and in India, Turkey, Egypt, and China.

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There are 2 other knots that are not as common Oriental Rug construction elements of the pile:

Jufti Knot

This knot will be placed over four warp threads (rather than 2 as above). The weft or wefts are also placed as with the other knots. The knot itself can be symmetrical or asymmetrical.

The advantage to using a Jufti knot is that the weaving will go much faster. Unfortunately, the density of the knots will suffer, producing a rug that may be less durable.

This knot can be found in Meshad (Mashad) Khorasan Province Rugs from Northeast Iran.

Tibetan Knot

This knot is structurally different from the other knots.  A temporary rod is placed along the width of the rug in front of the warp. The yarn, which will be considerably longer than with the other knots, is then placed around 2 warp threads and then around the rod. When the row is done, the loops around the rod are cut to create the knot.

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