Persian Carpet Afchar Circa 1960

Rug entirely hand-knotted, pure wool, vegetable dyes, size: 158x142. In the southeast of Iran live the semi-nomads of the Afshar tribe. Many centuries ago, these nomads lived in northwestern Iran, but a branch of the tribe was forced to move to the present region, where carpet making became an important economic sector. These carpets have dark red and blue shades and most of them bear stylized geometric patterns. It is believed to symbolize an animal's skin being stretched out before being dressed. The pattern without a medallion is also found today and what is typical of Afshar rugs is that they are relatively wide in relation to their length.