Afshar rugs

The ancestors of the Afshar tribesmen were the Turkamans, who first dwelled in the Caucasian area and around    Lake Orumiyeh (north-west of Iran).

Successively by order of both Shah Esmail Safavi (1502-1524) and Nader Shah Afshar (1736-1747) they emigrated and settled in the villages surrounding Kerman. At present these people live in the towns of Sirjan, Neyriz and Shahr-e-Babak, in the heights of Bafgh, on the slopes of the Lalehzar Mountain and in the South and West of Kerman.

The Caucasian design is still dominant among these nomadic weavers. Most of these carpets with their geometrical and stylised designs have enriched the collection of Iran's carpet designs.

Red, blackish blue, purple and ivory are the predominant colours of Afshar rugs. The designs most common are Botteh, Vase (Goldani), latticed lozenge, overall flowers and the five-medallion design. Sirjan rugs have mainly geometric designs with large repertoire of ornaments based on polygons, plain and hooked diamonds. Normally the sizes of Afshar rugs are small and one can rarely find carpets that exceed four sq. m.