Local Geography and History of the Ardabil Rug and Carpet Region

A large amount of quality floor coverings that influence the modern market for oriental rugs come from a city near the coast of the Caspian Sea; Ardabil.  Hand knotted by nomads, these rugs and runner where made from the best materials to create a high quality final product.  They used these Persian carpets to trade in local cities with the nearby merchants for necessities and staples.

With no technology what so ever, they were able to create works of art, hand knotting wool and cotton for a final product with a unique texture and pattern.  The wool used to weave the pile is thick and heavily knotted; this goes along side the strong cotton that is used as a foundation.  With the hand-spun wool collected from the local sheep, the nomads in Ardabil used a variety of knotting techniques, some double knotted with a symmetrical design, others with an asymmetrical knot.

The rug and carpet trading industry came to a halt in World War One, this included the city of Ardabil and a large number of surrounding villages and settlements.  Seeing an opportunity at their wake, the Oriental rug weavers in Ardabil seized it and started to create a more modern design. 

Rugs that have been made more recently have been influenced by the designs from Tabriz and Caucasis, a lot of the hand knotted Ardabil carpets using the Herati patterns.  Using the Herati style with a combination of off whites and beiges to blues, greens and turquoise, Ardabil floor coverings have proved themselves as quality rug manufactures.