Hamadan Rug History

Hamadan (also pronounced Hamedan) is an ancient city in the west of Iran, which is 2500 years old. This city was the first capital of the Achaemenids and was called “Ekbatan”. The age of rug weaving in Hamedan is not known, but due to the mountainous and cold climate of this region, people tended to rug weaving and covering their houses. Also, about 450 years ago, the Safavid king gave a handmade rug in Hamedan to the Ottoman Shah as a gift, which can be a reason for carpet weaving in this region. If you are interested in Hamedan rugs, you can read the features of this authentic Iranian carpet below.

                       Hamadan carpet Bazar

Characteristics of  Persian Hamadan rug

• Hamadan hand-woven rugs are woven with high-quality wool, so they are very durable. Of course, the quality of the old rugs was better.
• Wool is used for pile and cotton for warp and weft. In older rugs, they were woven in wool foundation.
• These rugs are usually woven in small and medium sizes of 120×200 and 150×100 cm.
• The main design of Hamadan area rugs is geometric, and most of them have a large medallion in the middle.
• Dark red and dark blue colors are the main colors of Hamadan Persian rugs, and ivory color is used to create contrast.
• The knot in Hamadan carpets is mostly symmetrical knot or Turkish.
• Hamedan urban rugs are usually woven using the double-weft technique, while rural rugs are woven using the single-weft technique.
• Hamedan area rugs are environmentally friendly carpets.

You can read this article: Our Earth Needs Green Eco-Friendly Rugs

                Antique Persian red Hamadan rug

What colors are used in Hamadan rugs?

In the past, more natural dyes were used for dyeing fibers, such as madder root, grape leaves, walnut shell, onion shell, beet, saffron. Today, most industrial dyes are used for this purpose. Common colors in  Iranian Hamadan rugs are: light and dark green, yellow, navy blue, dark and light blue, ivory, cream, white.

                     Dyeing Persian carpet

Hamadan carpet design

The most famous carpets in Hamadan are woven in the cities of Nahavand, Malayer, Tuiserkan. Also, you can see the most exquisite rugs in the villages of Bibikabad, Hosseinabad, Enjelas, Borchelo. We will mention some features of these rugs below:

• Malayer carpet

Malayer is located in the south of Hamadan province. These rugs are often woven with the wool of native sheeps of this region, which are of excellent quality. In Malayer rugs, like most Hamadan carpets, the knot type is Turkish or symmetrical, and a thick weft is used in each row. Of course, due to its proximity to Sanandaj, carpets with asymmetric knots are also woven.

             Antique Hamadan rug 4’*6′

• Nahavand carpet

The main materials used to weave Nahavand rugs are wool and cotton. These carpets are mainly woven with single-weft technique and Turkish knot. Nahavand rug has rich colors and very attractive designs, which are mostly exported outside of Iran. The middle medallion of the Nahavand rug dominates the entire carpet. We can mention shiny wools, long roots and thick piles among the characteristics of Nahavand rugs. In the past, these carpets were woven with a density(Raj) of 25, but today they are woven with a higher number of knots, about 40 knots per 7 cm.

                      Nahavand rug

• Bibikabad Hamedan carpet

Bibikabad is one of the villages of Hamadan. These carpets are usually woven with Turkish knot and single-weft technique and in large sizes. Being large and coarsely woven is one of the characteristics of Bibik abad rugs. Due to their special design, Bibikabad rugs are easily coordinated with modern decoration.

      Bibikabad Hamadan runner rug 

• Hosseinabad carpet

Another famous carpet in Hamadan is Hosseinabad hand-woven rug. This rug is often woven with a dark red background. The characteristic of this carpet is the medallion  pattern with small fish inside the texture. Hossein Abad carpets are usually woven in small sizes and are popular all over the world.

        Hosseinabad Hamadan rug 6’8″*10’3″

• Nanaj Hamadan rug

Nanaj is one of the villages of Hamadan province, which has a long history. The symmetry between the colors used, the single weft technique and the Turkish knot in the texture of the carpet are among the features of Nanaj rug. Like other Hamadan area rugs, these carpets are woven from wool and cotton. Due to the quality materials and natural dyeing, these carpets are durable rugs that can be used for years.

                         Nanaj rug

Hamadan rug for sale

Hamedan wool rugs are of high quality due to their diverse designs, high-quality materials, natural colors, and strong texture, but at the same time they are also reasonably priced. The price of Hamedan carpets depends on the age and elegance of the texture. These rugs have a high position in the world and, with their attractive design, they go well with any decoration. In this article, we have tried to introduce you to some of the carpets from the Hamedan region. If you love buying Hamadan Persian rugs, you can contact the Vernacarpets team. We are eagerly awaiting your comments!