Early 20th Century Zabihi Collection Serab Camel Hair Rug

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An antique Serab camel hair rug from the early 20th century

3'11'' x 6'4''


The best antique rugs and carpets … Read more An antique Serab camel hair rug from the early 20th century

3'11'' x 6'4''


The best antique rugs and carpets utilizing undyed camelhair are quite rare, as they represent a limited production of just a handful of the rug weaving villages and tribal encampments of the mountainous district of Northwest Persia. Prized camelhair yarn, often spun from the wool of the weaver's own camels yields exceptionally soft and glowing earth tones and like top quality sheep's wool, it is very strong and resilient to wear. Color striations, known as abrash, yield a surprisingly wide range of earth tone hues from blonde to wheat to walnut and even chocolate brown, greatly enhancing the aesthetic of this style of weaving.

The major regions of origin were Persian Kurdistan and Azerbaijan. The most notable pieces come from the towns of Bijar, Malayer, Serab and Bakshaish and the surrounding villages. Most of the Camelhair rugs found on today's market were woven, circa 1910-1930 and are of considerably lower quality and less artistically inspired than the highly collectible pieces that are sometimes found usually dating from 1850-1900.

Camelhair weavings are typically found in area sizes ranging from 3 ft x 5 ft to 5 ft x 7 ft, and in runners, usually in sizes from 3 ft x 9 ft to 4 ft x 16 ft. Kelege (wide runner) sizes 4 ft x 9 ft to 6 ft x 12 ft. are occasionally seen. Infinitely fewer pieces are found in room sizes ranging between 7 ft x 12 ft to 10 ft x 14 ft; and extremely rarely found in the oversize format, where carpets up to 12 ft x 18 ft were very seldom woven. See less