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| The Herati Pattern |
The Herati pattern is one of a flower inside a diamond shape and then surrounded by four acanthus-leaves - one of the most common plant forms artists have used in decoration for centuries. The leaves often look somewhat similar to a fish, so this design can also be referred to as “Fish Pattern”.
Named after the city of Herat located in the Northwestern part of Afghanistan, the Herati pattern is a pattern you would mostly find in handmade carpets from Iran.
These leafs are called fishes, because of its similarity, and the pattern is often used on carpets with an all-over/repeated motif. The earliest appearance of the Herati came during the empire of Timur during the 14th century.
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| Old Persian Tabriz Area Rug With the Herati Design |
The Herati has been woven in or around areas such as Tabriz, Kerman, Bijar, Senneh, Hosseinabad, Hamadan, Birjand, and Sarouk, just to name a few. There are many versions of the Herati design in different sizes and shapes, sometimes not in appropriate proportions to the rug itself.
Further back in history the Herati pattern may have been called a Feraghan pattern as it was commonly seen in rugs from this area. In fact this pattern is seen everywhere! It was extremely common in the rugs from Hamedan and Sarouk, one of the best known examples is in the rugs of Bijar.
The opposition theme (death and life - darkness and brightness, etc.) is a universal concept and the repeating two fishes patterns is thought to be a metaphorical expression of this underlying concept in different cultures.
Cleaning an old heirloom rug like this requires special care and attention. The rug has to be carefully inspected for any areas that have been affected by rot, dryness, moths or dozens of other factors. If it is not cleaned properly with the right equipment, the right knowledge and the right solutions, the rug could become severely compromised/damaged and become utterly worthless.
If you have an old Herati pattern rug (or any other type for that matter) that needs cleaning, ONLY let a true Master Rug cleaner take care of it like those you will find at Luv-A-Rug Services Inc. located in Victoria BC.
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