Persian Rugs — Authentic Hand-Knotted Persian Area Rugs

A Persian rug is a hand-knotted rug woven in Iran, the country called Persia until 1935. Every authentic piece is tied knot by knot on a loom, usually in wool on a cotton foundation, and no two come off the loom the same. That is why Persian rugs are sold as one-of-a-kind pieces rather than as stock patterns. This collection covers genuine handmade Persian area rugs across the main weaving centers — Heriz, Tabriz, Kashan, Kerman, Nain and the tribal weaves — plus the guidance you need before spending: how to tell a real one from a machine-made copy, what drives the price, and how to look after it. Free shipping applies as stated at checkout.

Shop Authentic Persian Rugs

Filter by origin, size, color and price. Each listing states construction, fiber and dimensions. Pieces marked in stock are ready to ship, and because these are one-of-a-kind weaves, a sold rug is not restocked.

What Makes a Persian Rug Special?

A Persian rug is special because it is hand-knotted rather than manufactured: a weaver ties each knot onto the warp threads by hand, at densities from about 60 to over 500 knots per square inch, which takes months to years per rug. That labor is the value. The wool is usually hand-spun and dyed in small batches, so color shifts subtly across the field — an effect called abrash that machine production cannot fake. The design vocabulary is old: medallion layouts, all-over patterns, the boteh teardrop, the herati diamond-and-leaf repeat, tribal gul motifs, corner spandrels and multi-band borders, carried through a centuries-old weaving tradition that peaked in the Safavid era. The craft is formally recognized — UNESCO lists traditional Persian carpet weaving as intangible cultural heritage — and the oldest surviving pile carpet, the Pazyryk carpet, comes from the same knotting tradition the Persian Empire developed.

Persian Rug Styles & Origins

Persian rugs are named for where they were woven. Origin tells you the pattern language, the palette and roughly the knot density.

Heriz

From northwest Iran. Village weaves with a bold, angular central medallion, coarse but very durable wool pile, and rust, terracotta and deep blue coloring. The most practical Persian rug for a busy room.

Tabriz

A city rug from the same region, and one of the finest. Curvilinear floral and medallion designs at high knot density, often with a silk highlight. Palettes run from ivory and soft blue to deep red.

Kashan

Central Iran. Dense floral fields, a strong central medallion and matching corner spandrels, usually on a red or ivory ground in fine wool. The classic formal Persian rug.

Bakhtiari

Woven by the Bakhtiari tribes of the Zagros mountains. Recognizable by the garden panel layout, a grid of compartments each holding its own floral motif. Heavy wool, warm color, village construction.

Hamadan

A large region producing single-wefted village rugs with geometric medallions and strong, simple color. The accessible end of authentic Persian weaving.

Gabbeh & Tribal Weaves

Gabbeh rugs from Fars are thick-piled and deliberately minimal, often a few animal or plant figures on an open field. Balouch weaves are darker and finer, Sarouk carries floral sprays on a red field, and Qum, Nain and Isfahan represent the finest silk and silk-highlighted city work. Persian kilim is the flatweave form: no pile, weft woven over warp, reversible.

Oriental rugs are the wider category that Persian sits inside; see our oriental rugs collection for Turkish, Caucasian and Central Asian weaves.

Persian Rugs vs Persian-Style Rugs

These are two different products at two different price points, and it is worth being clear about which one you are buying.

	Authentic Persian rug	Persian-style rug
Construction	Hand-knotted on a loom	Machine-woven or printed
Origin	Woven in Iran	Made anywhere
Materials	Wool or silk on a cotton foundation	Polypropylene, polyester, viscose
Back of rug	Knots visible, pattern legible	Grid or glued backing, pattern faint
Each piece	One-of-a-kind	Identical repeats
Lifespan	Generations, repairable	Roughly 5 to 10 years

Persian-style rugs are a legitimate choice if you want the look for a rental, a kid's room or an outdoor space. We label them as Persian-style, never as authentic Persian rugs.

How to Identify an Authentic Persian Rug

Turn the rug over. That single move answers most of the question.

• Look at the back. On a hand-knotted rug the pattern is as clear on the back as the front and you can see individual knots. A machine-made rug shows a uniform grid; a glued canvas backing rules it out entirely.
• Check the fringe. On a genuine handmade rug the fringe is an extension of the warp threads running through the foundation. A fringe sewn on as a separate strip means machine-made.
• Identify the knot. The Persian or Senneh knot is asymmetrical, wrapping one warp fully and passing behind the next; the Turkish or Ghiordes knot is symmetrical, wrapping both. Either can appear in Iranian weaving, but a visible knot means hand work.
• Find the irregularities. Uneven edges, a field a half-inch wider at one end and abrash color banding are evidence of a person at a loom, not defects.
• Read the dyes. Vegetable dye and other natural dye colors soften and vary; synthetic dye is flat across the whole field.
• Treat the label as secondary. A "made in Iran" tag is not proof; the weave is. Ask for a certificate of authenticity, and get an independent appraisal on high-value or antique pieces.

How Much Does a Persian Rug Cost?

Price is driven by knot density, size, fiber, age and origin, and it is best understood as a price per square foot. These are typical US market ranges, not RugKnots pricing.

Type	Price per square foot	8x10 (80 sq ft) equivalent
Persian-style, machine-made	$2 – $8	$150 – $600
Village wool, lower KPSI (Hamadan, Heriz)	$15 – $40	$1,200 – $3,200
Fine city wool (Tabriz, Kashan, Kerman)	$40 – $100	$3,200 – $8,000
Very fine or silk-highlighted (Isfahan, Nain, Qum)	$100 – $300+	$8,000 – $24,000+
Antique (over 100 years) and vintage pieces	Highly variable	Set by condition, rarity and provenance

Doubling the knot density roughly doubles the weaving time, which is why two rugs the same size can be five times apart in price. Silk costs more than wool per square foot and is less durable underfoot.

Persian Rug Sizes

Most Persian rugs are woven in room sizes. An 8x10 fits a standard living room; a 9x12 suits a larger seating group or a king bedroom. Square Persian rugs work in entry halls, and runners suit hallways and the space beside a bed. Large Persian rugs cost disproportionately more, because loom time and wool both scale with area.

Caring for a Persian Rug

• Rotate the rug 180 degrees once or twice a year so traffic and light wear evenly.
• Use a rug pad. It absorbs impact on the foundation, where a hand-knotted rug eventually fails.
• Keep it out of direct sun. Sunlight fading is permanent and uneven.
• Vacuum with the pile, not against it, and keep the beater bar off the fringe.
• Moth prevention means vacuuming under furniture, airing the rug, and never storing wool damp or dirty.
• Book professional rug cleaning every few years. Full immersion washing by a hand-wash specialist is the correct method for wool; steam extraction is not.

Frequently Asked Questions