 Lylyan
rugs are produced by Persian Armenian weavers in the Province of Markad
in western Iran. Lylyan was formerly the collection point for Armenian
single wefted rugs made in the vicinity of Khomeine. Although not too
well known in Europe, Lylyan rugs are extremely popular in the United
States. These lush, attractive, and extremely durable wool rugs are
similar in style, color, and thickness to Sarouks, but are made with a
single weft construction and tend to have a longer pile. Lylyan rugs
are beautifully woven in the Hamadan weave - single weft is called
Hamadan weave or Sennah Baft in which the wefts are rigid and the warps
are sinuous. Lylyan rugs are easy to distinguish since there is only
one shot of weft between each row of knots.
Although the designs on Lylyan rugs are characteristically curvilinear,
geometric patterns are also evident. Traditional floral patterns often
feature very unusual and striking colors - wefts of pink, accented by
brown and khaki. Lylyan rugs frequently are woven with the Herati
design (fish and turtle design with a very common repeated field
pattern consisting of a flower centered in a diamond with curving
leaves located outside the diamond and parallel to each side), Boteh
design (named for the Farsi word for immature flower or palm leaf), or
Gul Hannai design (leaves/vines) in either an all-over or medallion
layout which can be hexagonal, oval, diamond shape, round, or angular
floral shapes.
The foundation of Lylyan rugs is typically cotton and the pile wool,
usually coming from the villager’s own sheep. Although available in a
variety of different sizes, the majority of Lylyan rugs are mid-size.
Due to their construction, they are extremely long-wearing and can be
enjoyed for generations to come. The unusual use of the color pink
gives Lylyan rugs a lovely warm quality to them that will enhance any
environment.
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