Origin of Ferdos Rugs

Ferdos is a small town in Northeast Iran’s South Khorassan province, to the northeast of the holy city of Mashad. Ferdos produces a fair amount of handmade Persian rugs. Although the Ferdos is a tribal style rug, the quality is very high and the rug is very sturdy.

History of Ferdos Rugs

The persian province of Khorassan is the biggest province in Iran. It stretches along the northeast of the nation. Many beautiful rugs come from this area of Iran. The capital city is Mashad, which is also where most of these rugs are marketed everyday. Some other rug producing centers in this region are Kashmar (Turshis), Mood, Sabzevar, Ghain, and Birjand, most of which are situated very close to Mashad.

Many Baluch type rugs are also woven in this province by Baluchi nomads who inhabit the areas more to the south. In 1722 there was an Afghani Invasion into Iran. This left the country in a state of political confusion for many years, and the rug industry in a state of disorientation, especially in well established areas such as Mashad.

However, despite the mass invasion, Khorassan along with many other regions were able to get back on their feet and so the rug industry started up again as the royal courts of Iran did everything in their power to bring this great art back home. Many times, Kings of Iran such as Shah Abass would seize and destroy low quality carpets and those with inferior coloring techniques to make sure the integrity of this ancient Persian art was not lost .

There are many grades of handmade rugs produced in this vast Persian province of Khorassan, ranging from medium to fine. All however are very sturdy and indestructible. The carpets woven inside of the cities, such as Kashmar, Mashad, Mood, Sabzevar, and Birjand are usually better quality than those woven by the nomads in the area. Although it was originally the nomads who wove these rugs for their own use, the cities adapted the talent and perfected it into an art. Almost every color can be seen in various rugs of this type.

Ferdos, this small town is a great reminder of Iran’s great Saffavid era. The ‘tree of life’ designs are very old and cherished in Iran’s rug industry. Ferdos was also the birthplace of Ferdowsi, one of Iran and the world’s greatest poets and scholars that ever lived. Today, with most of the main rug producing centers in Iran becoming modern and commercialized, these small towns still remain constant in the way the make rugs as they were many centuries ago. An authentic Ferdos is an ideal way to improve the decor of a room and add just a little bit of Persia to your home .

Characteristics of Ferdos Rugs

• Material and Knots

Almost all of these rugs have a pile of all wool, and a foundation (warp and weft) of cotton. In extremely rare cases, silk may be seen in these rugs as part of the pile, foundation, or the entire carpet might be made of silk. That is very unlikely unless you are dealing with much older pieces from a couple of centuries ago. The wool however, is very lustrous and soft and is exclusive to the people of Khorassan. This fine wool, along with beautiful designs and genius craftsmanship, combine to produce these exquisite carpets.

• Color

The colors in a Ferdos rug may be any combination of reds, beiges, or blues.

• Design and Pattern

Ferdos usually makes floral or tree of life pattern carpets but geometric styles can sometimes be seen.