What is a Single Wefted Rug - Samples of Rug Backs

Here are a few samples of the Backs of Single Wefted rugs:
Please visit What is a Single Wefted Rug

The Craycraft Blue Field Hamadan Rug

This rug is woven in the usual Hamadan technique. The wefts are thicker than the wefts and the warps bend from the heavier wefts. With one shot of heavier weft the rug shows much white on the back.

Tekke Rugs: Teke/Tekke 180 KPSI single wefted Tekke khalyk from Jim Allen

This is a rare one. Maybe less than 1% of all Tekke Rugs are single wefted. Almost all Tekke Rugs have two rows of wefts in between each row of knots but a small and rare group only have one row of weft between each row of knots. The tekke used this technique to make pieces finer and more supple than normal.

Rug Structure: What is the Hamadan Weave?

The Hamadan Weave is single wefted. There is one heavy weft between each row of knots and the warps lace around the wefts.

Sonny Berntsson IDed this as Yastik from Aydin province in West Anatolia. Probably from Cine Köy

This yastik surprised me when I felt it. It is more solid then most really old yastik. Most have a floppy handle and this one is firm. The reason can be seen below. This is a rather rare single weft construction while almost all Turkish rugs have two shots of weft between each row of knots this yastik has but one.
Antique Bergama Area Yastik w/Single Weft Keshishian Collection
Bergama Area Yastik that I suspect is older than you would think.
Waps: Two ply Ivory wool.
Wefts 1 shot of two ivory wool singles.
Knot: Symetrical, 6.5 by 10.5 knots to the inch, 68 kpsi.
Size 35 by 18

Lilihan Mat Rug 2

Uploaded on Aug 30, 2010

Barry O'Connell looks at a nice little Lilihan Mat Rug at Richard Rothstein & Co. A leading Philadelphia Area Oriental rug store.
Please visit What is a Single Wefted Rug

What is a Single Wefted Rug

Here I look at ugs that use Single Weft construction. I hope it is useful.

In this first video I look at a Persian Single Wefted Rug Fragment. What I mean by that is that there is one shed of weft between each row of knots. Please review this because the number of wefts is one of the most important clues in Rug ID.

When we wish to ID a Rug we should first look a the back and among other things check to see if there is a single row of weft(s) or 2 or more rows of weft.

If there is only one row of wefts then we can rule out many possibilities including virtually all Turkish. Turkmen, Afghan, Chinese, Central Asian as well as most Persian and Caucasian Rugs. So then we know that it is likely to be one of:

Hamadan Rugs

Senneh Rugs

Lilihan Rugs

Karaja Rugs

and less commonly

About half of Bahktiari Rugs

Some Kurdish Rugs

10% of all Baluch Rugs

and some Jewish rugs from Palestine prior to the establishment of the Nation State of Israel in 1948

Here we have an antique Malayer rug. it has single weft construction and is similar to a Hamadan but much more finely woven.

Here is a Malayer that I saw at Emanuel's in Seattle. I lost sound half way through but it is hopefully of value. 

Here is an Armenian single wefted Lilihan Rug that I saw at Richard Rothstein & Co. A leading Philadelphia Area Oriental rug store.

There are some old timers who claim "Single Wefted" is improper usage. At my behest the usage "Single Wefted" has  been adopted by resolution of The Academy of Oriental rugs in 2013. We use "Single Wefted" to describe a manner of rug technique that is crucial to understand in Rug ID.

What is a Double Wefted Rug - Pictures of Rug Backs

This post snowes examples of Rugs with double weft construction. For more information see

What is a Double Wefted Rug

Detail of Back - Afshar Rugs: The Bowen Tulip

Here we can see the classic medium ribbed back typical of Afshar Rugs. When one weft is pulled slightly tighter it separates the warps into two sets. In this case one is slightly tighter so it is medium depressed or ribbed. By the way look at the crude repair in the upper right corner. This is typical of the repairs that we see from Iran with rugs used in Iran.

The wefts in this schematic give you an idea of how they are in the Afshar rug above.

Bijar Rugs: Bidjar Rug Northwest Persia second quarter 20th c 
Bijar rugs are completely depressed but how can you tell by looking at the back. Every knot has two nodes but look carefully in the picture above. On the right hand side  look at the row of red knots next to the white area. Do you see how there is only one row of red. That means the other node is hidden in the foundation of the rug. keep look at every rug you see, you will keep seeing more and more.

Compare this schematic to the Bijar directly above.

Sultanabad Rugs: Antique Sultanabad Rug at Skinners
Notice how every other warp is raised like corduroy. That means it cannot be single wefted so it is double wefted. Don't be fooled by looks. Just because it is coarse and the weave is sloppy does not mean this is not a great rug. Old Sultanabad rugs can bring high prices.

Timuri Rugs: The Craycraft Timuri Bag Face

Michael did not bother to describe this piece, not even giving size. He really didn't have to, the Bag speaks for itself. This bags are always larger in size than an average Khorjin panel and have outstanding silky wool. The backs are generally ribbed and medium depressed with brown wefts. Cotton is a sign of a late piece.
Peter Saunders published a related pieced which he labeled "Probably Afghahistan Mushwanee Tribal Visions Plate 15b. m

Ahar Rugs: Ahar Rug Late 20th Century 

Ahar Rugs are very thick heavy durable rugs closely related to Heriz rugs. Look ar hge 2nd row from the top; one yellow node proves this is a deeply depressed double wefted 

What is a Double Wefted Rug

Most Hand Woven Rugs are Double Wefted Rugs. That means that when the rug is woven on the loom after every row of knots there are two wefts that hold the rug together.

Sarouk Rug Back with Double Wefts

Virtually all Turkish, Indian, Pakistani, Caucasian, Turkmen  rugs are double wefted as are most Persian Rugs. 

Here we see a schematic of double wefts before and after each row of knots. The image above is balanced wefting which gives a flat back where both nodes of the knot is visible from the back. 

Here we see a schematic of a Bijar Rug weave. One weft is straight and rigid forcing the warps apart onto two planes and then a sinuous weft which hold it all together. As we can see in the top part of the drawing only one node of the knot is visible from the back and the other is buried deep in the foundation

Schmatics from Oriental Rug Technical Recordation

White Cotton Knots in a Wool Pile Rug

Sometimes we see stray white cotton knots in a wool pile rug. It is a simple matter and I look at it in this video from 2008.

RugID Juvals, Chuvals, Bedding Bags

Antique Qazvin Kurd Animal Bag

Textiles played a key role in the lives of tribal people particularly in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. They wove rugs to sleep on, rugs to roll out their bread; in fact if they needed it they were likely to weave it if at all possible. One common woven item was a bag. They came in all shapes and sizes.  Here I have a video on a bedding bag. If they had to move, household items were loaded in the bag and it was tied on the back of an animal from a burro, horse or camel. When they were not in use for mioving then they were often used in the yurt for storage or as a seat cushion.

Bedding Bags are often called Juvals or Chuvals. The proper translation from Turkmen is Chuval.

Many people consider the now famous Jenkins Salor chuval as the greatest turkmen chuval of all time.

Afghan Ersari Turkmen Door Surround/Gapylyk

This is an Afghan Ersari Turkmen Door Surround

This is called a a Gapylyk by Turkmen. Collectors and rug scholars call these Kapunuk but that is incorrect.  The correct spelling is gapylyk. The translation is "a thing (intended) for the door (of the yurt)". Gapy=Door.
For more information see Guide to Turkmen Rugs & Carpets 

Rugs: Tribal & Village, City and Workshop

Oriental Rugs are too broad a category with far too many twists and turns to take as a whole and attempt to learn. So to shortcut the process and make it manageable we use broad over simplifications to make it easier. One standard one today is based loosely on the work of Dr. Jon Thompson. We  take all rugs and break them into three types. Tribal and Village, City rugs, and Workshop Rugs. It is not perfect but it does give us a broad workable framework.

Tribal and Village Rugs

Persian Baluch Rug c. 1880-1899

These are made by women without outside supervision and without a formal cartoon or exact design specification. The weaver will gather together the family resources or borrow the materials to create a rug. There are design conventions and traditions in these rugs but they are created by women in keeping with what her family and neighbors create. They are not bound to an exact design but copying is normal and innovation comes very slowly if at all. For instance the rugs from a village in Hamadan Province Iran will normally fall into two style types and all the rugs of each type will look very much the same. But if we look at them over a twenty year time frame we will see definite changes in style and color.  But it is very important to note that weaving technique stay fairly constant over long periods of time. Weaving technique will normally only change when there is some huge life changing event. Tekke Turkmenrugs stayed very consistent for hundreds of years but after they were conquered by the Czarist Russians the rugs became increasingly finer because Russian and Armenian traders paid more for finer rugs. The rugs stopped being an item of Tekke Turkmen culture and started being an item of commerce.  

More on Village Rugs Soon…

City Rugs

Antique Tabriz Carpet C. 1880

These rugs are commercial rugs made primarily for export. They tend to be larger, sturdier, more finely woven rugs. They are useually woven from a cartoon or other design. Because of thsi City Rugs usually have Resolved Corners while Tribal & Village Rugs rarely do. 
One key clue is resolved corners.

Antique Agra Oriental Rug  

Turkish Rugs: Karapinar Long Rug 18th C.

As we can see the border design flows around the corner which is a sign of a City Rug, The second rug has an abrupt cut off to the border design which is what we expect in Tribal & Village Rugs.

City Rugs can be fairly crude or very refined but as a group they are larger, tighter, heavier made then Village & Tribal Rugs. Still the line between the two gets blurred when for instance a great Qashqai Tribal Rug can be far more sophisticated than many city rugs. But while you are learning the broad groups don’t get lost in the fine points of distinction. 
Here are the big 6 Persian City Rugs

Tabriz Rugs (Turkish Knots)

Kashan Rugs (Persian Knots)

Sarouk Rugs (Persian Knots)

Kerman Rugs (Persian Knots)

Mashhad Rugs (Persian Knots)

Bijar Rugs (Persian Knots)

More on City Rugs  coming soon
Link to an interesting article:

David Zahipour Inventory Show at the TM by R. David Howe

Workshop Rugs

Mohammad Seirafian One of the Greatest Persian Master Workshop Ustads

I draw a line of distinction between City Rugs and Workshop Rugs. It is a fine line and the distinctions blur so compare it to automobiles. Even great city rugs can be compared to a standard Mercedes Benz, Corvette, or Cadillac. But for the most part they are mass production cars and no matter how nice one is your neighbor can go buy one just like it (if he has the money). Then there is the hand built limited production cars such as the Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang , Jaguar XKR 75, or the Lamborghini Reventón Roadster. Much higher standards, smaller numbers and closer supervision are some of the differences. Of course the price recognizes the exclusivity as well. 
Some of the Great Workshops include:
From Isfahan Workshops:

• Seirafian,
• Haghighi, 
• Dardashti 

From Qum/Ghoum:

• Mirmehdi of Qum  

• Rashti Zadeh of Koum Also  Rastehzadeh of Qum

From Tabriz (area)

• Haji Jalili

Hallmarks of the Workshop Rugs.

Far higher quality control. Even though many workshop rugs are made in the weavers home the Usatad or master inspects regularly and maintains strict quality control. Both city and workshop rugs use cartoons but the workshops hire the best artists and limit use of a design. Errors and material failures are common but in the best workshops these imperfections are not allowed.

More on Workshop Rugs coming soon

What is a Turkish Knot

This video has already been viewed more than 21,157 times on YouTube. I am not sure why but people keep watching it.

What is a Turkish Knot? Here I look at Turkish knots in a Hamadan Rug fragment.

Turkish knots are seen most commonly in Turkish rugs. But in Persian Rugs the knot is very important because it can help us attribute what a rug is and where it is from.
Common Persian Rugs that have Turkish knot include:
Tabriz Rugs
Senneh Rugs
Hamadan Rugs
Bijar Rugs
Zanjan Rugs
Bakhtiari Rugs

Tufted Rugs Scourge of Mankind

Tufted Rugs Scourge of Mankind

Tufted Rugs are really just a disposable rug no matter how much or how little they cost. They can cost from a few dollars a square foot to over $100 a square foot. They are made by shooting a strand of pile yarn from the back with a tufting gun. The loose woven backing was often burlap although other fabrics may be used today. By shooting yarn through so that it laces through the back and then by trimming the tops of the loops they simulate a pile rug. It is not secure like a pile rug knot it is just a loop of yarn. Once the pile is in place the back is painted with a latex coating to lock the pile in place. To protect the latex backing a canvas or other fabric cover is sewn on and bound.

Shantou Dayang Tufting Gun 

The main point of failure is the latex backing. Wool and burlap are inexpensive and 3^rd world labor is cheap, so to save money the latex which does not show is where they cut corners. To cut the cost of the latex they mix in filler. If they don’t add too much filler and it is good quality inert filler it is not that bad.  But limestone is the filler of choice and if the limestone contains sulfur the rug will develop a terrible sulfur dioxide smell. Since the smell is sulfur combining with oxygen to make sulfur dioxide you cannot wash the smell away. In fact washing only makes it worse. Theoretically you could remove the contaminated latex but it is very difficult to remove 100% of the latex without damaging the rug. Add to that the cost of time and labor and a sulfur stinker is a complete write off.

See Also:\Rug Buyers Guide: Don't Buy Tufted Rugs

Cleaning considerations:

Dye testing is needed and if the foundation is burlap thencare has to be taken to prevent cellulosic browning’

Here is a comment I made recently on how to clean urine stained Tufted Rug:

The problem is that tufted rugs are disposable rugs. They are not very durable and when the “latex” back starts to break up you have real problems. So two tools for hand woven rugs; aggressive dusting and aggressive agitation are out of the question because you don’t want the back to break apart. So to get the urine out use an acid based treatment like Wool Medic from Bridgepoint. What you are doing is first dye test, and then try to dissolve the urine salt with acid. Let it dwell, light agitation with a low pH surfactant, flush, and extract until the rise water runs clear. The only way to get any smell out is to get the urine salt out. You guys should charge extra for Tufted Rugs because they are more work. Watch that pH it can bleed the rug. You could also use vinegar if you work cheap and have lots of extra time to screw around. If your time is worth more than minimum wage then the so-called “expensive chemicals” are cheaper.

Should we say Rug or Carpet?

Should we say Rug or Carpet?

When do we say Rug and when do we say Carpet. When it is hand woven and pile it is always a rug but it can be a carpet as well.  I go over that in this video.

 Thanks

Barry O’Connell

http://youtu.be/cihveHJ-FXI

Where can I ask "What is My Rug"?

Where can I ask "What is My Rug"?
I created a Facebook Group called "What is My Rug". Feel free to join and post Rug ID questions there. It is better than posting here because we have a large group that helps with the ID and if I make a mistake they catch it.
Thanks.
Barry O'Connell
https://www.facebook.com/groups/rughub/

What is a medallion?

What is a medallion?
I hope you enjoy this video and if you have questions please post them here or on What Is My Rug

Rug ID Resources

I realized that we have so many Rug ID resources available it is easy to miss some. I will also be adding in Rug ID videos and links.

Barry O’Connell