The terms "tribal rug" and "village rug" are used loosely in the rug trade. This is somewhat understandable since there can be quite a bit of intersection between them. We can explain our use of the terms so that you know how we are are attributing a particular artifact. We call a rug or trapping "tribal" when it is woven by individuals who associate themselves with a particular tribal group. Often these individuals are nomadic or semi-nomadic, but not always so. Generally, though, when family groups become sedentary they can lose their tribal identity. Their weavings may retain some design elements from their former tribal identity but we no longer classify these weavings as tribal. An example would be so called "Afshar" rugs woven by settled people in villages near Kirman in Southeast Iran. These rugs may resemble true Afshar nomadic tribal rugs even though they could as easily be woven by sedentary people of Afshar origin or by Persian villagers with no tribal identity. Conversely nomadic Afshar or Qashqai tribal people may weave rugs inspired by urban rug, carpet, or textile designs that they see in their travels. Though these rug designs may not be of tribal origin they usually have drawing and structure that indicates that they were woven by nomads. We classify these products as "tribal" because of the status of the people weaving them. What we call "village" rug weaving occurs in homes by people with no particular tribal connection and usually uses design patterns that are associated with that particular village. People copy designs that they see so some villagers may weave a design that is normally associated with another village or even with nomadic tribal people that pass through their region. The materials and weaving structure of the rug may indicate that the rug is a copy woven in a village that did not originate the design. This alone does not lessen its quality or authenticity but when possible we try to note the origin of the design and the rug if they differ. A third general classification is what are called "workshop" rugs. These products are woven in a setting in which the weavers are hired by a workshop owner who directs production. The most commonly known products are formal rug and carpet designs that are particular to their area of origin. Examples include formal Tabriz, Kashan, and Isfahan workshop rugs. There are some notable exceptions. For example, some wealthy Khans of the Qashqai and Bakhtiari tribes have set up workshops that they staff with the best weavers from among their tribal clans. In some cases workshops like this existed as early as the 19th century. Some of the products of these workshops are of the highest quality produced by these tribal groups and were often meant for personal use or as gifts by the Khans. An example of this are so called "Bakhtiari Khan Carpets" that bear inscriptions indicating they were woven by the order of a particular Khan.

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If you are interested in a product please provide a full address through our contact page and we will provide a quote.

We welcome inquiries about the condition and will happily provide detailed descriptions and additional pictures. Please send an inquiry through the contact page and give the SKU and description.

We will accept returns for a full refund initiated within 5 days of receiving the item. The customer is responsible for the cost of returning the item including insurance and it must be returned in the same condition as received. After 5 days the customer will receive merchandise credit towards an exchange. After 25 days all sales are final.