 Bidjar rugs originate from Bidjar, a small Kurdish town in the Province of Kermanshah. Its name literally means the region of willows in the Kurdish language. Although Bidjar has barely 10,000 residents, it has achieved an international reputation for superb handmade rugs. A very distinctive feature on a Bidjar area rug is its very unique weave that uses the symmetrical Turkish knot and double weft compacted very tightly, referred to as the Bidjar structure. This results in an area rug that is unusually heavy and durable. An area rug is particularly rigid when the strong tension of the weft pulls the warp into two layers. Hence an area rug with a Bidjar structure must be rolled when transported. Careless handling may cause cracks and tears.
The frequently used design on Bidjar rugs is the Herti design – an old Mongol pattern featuring fish and turtles. This design is also referred to as the Mahi design – meaning fish in Farsi. The field design is comprised of a flower centered in a diamond with curving leaves located outside the diamond and parallel to each side. A variation of the Herti design is a rosette inside a diamond medallion, surrounded by four leaves and a fish pattern repeating throughout the field of the area rug. Mina Khani is a beautiful Bidjar rug design featuring a field of daisies connected together with lines that form diamonds or circles in an all-over layout. A predominant color on Bidjar rugs is pale sky-blue. Green is rarely seen, but the color mauve is only found in Bidjar rugs.
The weave and weft threads on Bidjar rugs are most often cotton, while the Kurdish mountain sheep supply the good strong wool. It is very rare to see Bidjar rugs worn out with normal use. They are ideal for high traffic areas and their beauty will complement all styles of décor from antique to modern.
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