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Serapi RugsHeriz carpets Province of Azerbaijan, northwest Iran About 40 miles east of Tabriz lies the rough triangle of the Heriz rug district in which about thirty villages, with between 100 to 500 looms each, produce about 10,000 room size carpets each year, not to mention small scatter rugs and runners. Although weaving may be traced back to the 18 century, the Heriz carpet as it is presently understood is a creation of the second half of the 19th century Production has been primarily for export to America and Europe, and weaving has expanded to more villages as demand for these colorful, quasi-geometric carpets has grown. Far and away the most popular design is the stylized, angular rendition of the traditional medallion and corners pattern. Lacking the precise scale paper cartoons of the urban centers, the Heriz weavers work from rough sketches, wagireh (samplers) or memory to produce their lively, vigorous designs. Curves are angles, flowers are flattened and schematised,and unshaded solid color areas produced by natural dyes are unavoidably eye catching. The weave varies from 50 to 150 knots per square inch, always Turkish (symmetrical) knots on a cotton foundation. The finer pieces have a stiffer leathery handle and trade has nicknamed then “Serapi”. A coarser weave, the Goravan descends from the “Bakhshayesh” grade and instead of the medallion pattern, displays handsome classic overall designs. Heriz carpets are the only geometric, brightly colored, bold pattern Persian carpets having the same impact as Caucasian Kazaks.
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