Gol Farang Rugs

Gol Farang

ID Tip: Take a look at the Roses in these rugs. It is a more Western use of Perspective. When you see this you can call it a Gol Farang. Old time dealers will often call these “Cabbage Rose”.

In Persian and Caucasian Rugs there is a floral pattern called the Gol Farang. Also seen as Goli Farngi, Gol-e Farang, Golfarangi, etc… Gol is Persian for flower and Farang is Persian for Frank in the sense of French. Going back to the time of the crusaders encountering the Mongols, all Europeans were called Franks or Farang. So when we see Gol Farang it means European Flowers.  What makes a flower European? Generally it is the use or perspective which we do not normally see in Oriental Rugs.

It was not unusual for Mongols and Muslims to call Christian Europe Frangistan.

Certain types of rugs more commonly use the Gol Farang pattern. It is very common in Senneh rugs:

We also see it frequently in antique Karabagh Rugs: