Isfahan rugs, Isfahan carpets

Isfahan is a city of ancient foundation but which came into prominence under the Safivid dynasty in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The most famous Safavid was Shah Abbas, who established his capital in Isfahan. A persian proverb describes Isfahan as "half the world" and certainly in its heyday it was a cosmopolitan city of artists and philosophers. Its population is now about one million.

It is thought that many of the sixteenth and seventeenth century carpets now in museums originated in here, and the city remains famous for its carpets. The designs are often copied from old carpets, where tile and mosaic work also inspired the designers. Isfahan rugs are made in all sizes, the small ones generally being more finely knotted.

The weave is medium to fine with, in older carpets a warp and weft of cotton, replaced by silk in more recent work. The pile in many recent carpets is of 'kork' - a velvety wool, traditionally from the first clippings of lambs.