About this product

About 

Malayer is a city located in the southwestern area of the Hamadan Province in western Iran. It is considered one of the oldest weaving villages in Hamadan. Malayer is known to weave the finest rustic rugs and runners in the province.The rugs are known in the antique market from the early nineteenth century.
Malayer rugs have a cotton foundation and a wool pile. Early weavings were made mainly on a wool foundation. The Turkish (symmetric) knot is used.The rugs are tightly woven with a low-cut pile.
Malayers have semigeometric designs in an all-over or medallion style. The designs have palmettes with leaves and vines, traditional motifs of Boteh (paisley), Herati (fish), Shrub, Vase, and at times the Tree of Life. The rugs can feature primitive tribal motifs such as animals, birds, and human figures in the field. Triclinium Carpets designs were also made in Malayer, and they occasionally appear in the antique market the nearby village of Mishan, twenty kilometers away from Malayer, produces rugs that are similar in design, coloration, and technique to Malayer weavings. Mishans have a finer weave than Malayers, and in the Tehran bazaar they are called Mishan Malayer.
Malayer field colors are mostly reds, ivory, or dark blue, but at times, camel or light blue is used. Besides these colors, different shades of blue, brown, camel, gray, orange, and green are employed for the borders and design elements. Dark blue or dark brown is used for design outlines. Important to note is the fact that some of the older Malayer rugs have issues with the red dye bleeding in the background, usually a result of a shortened dye process. Malayer weavings are woven in formats ranging from small bag face rugs to approximately six feet by four feet. Runners and gallery sizes are made in a variety of lengths. Rare room-size carpets exist and can be found in the antique market. Malayers are generally good to fine in grade quality. Some lower-grade Malayer rugs were categorized as one of the Hamadan Mosul Rugs. Mosul rugs were marketed successfully worldwide as an inexpensive alternative to Caucasian and Anatolian rugs. By the late twentieth century, some Malayer weavers switched from using traditional designs to patterns similar to those in neighboring areas in accordance with the demand of domestic and foreign export consumers.^[1]