What is a Heriz rug?
Only 50 miles east of Tabriz is the village of Heriz, home to some of the most popular village and tribal rugs made in Iran.
It’s sometimes speculated that Heriz rugs as they currently are were the result of enterprising merchants from Tabriz seeking a way to produce affordable room-sized Persian rugs for export. Weavers from the Heriz region then adapted the ornate patterns of Tabriz rugs to the more geometric designs they were familiar with.
Today, Heriz rugs are easy to spot by their large, diamond-shaped medallions, oversized corner ornamentation, and occasional Tree of Life motifs. Heriz designs have a lot in common with Kazak rugs, which shouldn’t be surprising given the proximity of Heriz to the Caucus mountains where Kazak rugs are made.
Like other rugs made in the western parts of Iran, they are typically made with Turkish knots, but are typically have a lower knot density (less than 100 knots per square inch) that lends to their rustic charm.