The best thick wool Persian rug motifs are the ones from Iran, which usually have the motifs traditional to the village or the region where they are woven, and usually bear the name of the town or district of the regional weavers.
The Top Persian Wool Area Rugs and Their Motifs
The Heriz is a famous region and carpet style that is thick wool Persian rug with a unique geometric motif. Another is the rather modern looking jagged edge motif of the Kazak rugs woven in Azerbaijan. The most classic and usually considered of very fine quality are the Hariz designs that are also used in the famous Tabriz carpets.
The next motif that is used in thick wool Persian rug weaves is the Mehraban area rugs that have a traditional Hamadan style characterized by floral motifs and often medallions. These are best known as carpets or area rugs that are used as long hallway runners because of the high quality wool that is used and the coarser weave that is very durable for high traffic areas.
If you’ve heard of the Bakhtiari area rugs, then you may already know that they are famous for being very natural and may be woven into Hamadan styles and motifs, however, they are more delicate due to the manner in which they are woven. If you like the floral and medallion motifs of the Hamadan, you may also like the Karadja wool area rugs and these are also great for entryway runners or small area rugs. Since they are a corsere weave as well, they are not made into really large rugs.
The other most popular and well loved motifs used for thick wool Persian rug designs are the Herati, Boteh, Mina-Khani, Gul, Shah Abbasi and the Rosette. Perhaps the most well-known is the Boteh since it is all about flower designs and cluster leaves and what some people believe to be a teardrop or paisley motif. Gul designs are very common but they are not necessarily floral or easy to define since they often represent tribal emblems. Herati wool area rugs have the most elaborate motifs that can include floral designs surrounded by diamonds and vine-like leaves and curling shapes. Similar in some ways to the Herati is the Shah Abbasi used in Tabriz wool area rugs, often curved lines, vines, flowers and extremely complicated intertwined designs that may include both floral motifs and animal figures.
The names of the places where wool area rugs are made and the names of the top quality thick wool Persian rug carpet designs are one and the same. Find the towns and you will find the motifs, like Abadeh, Herat, Nain, Tabriz, Shiraz or Zabol.