(#F1153) NEW approx. 90x60cm Hand-knotted Nain Persian carpet

Grandmother (North Wales) Carpets

All Nain rugs are hand knotted with asymmetrical Persian knots and a pile of wool and silk on a cotton warp. The rugs are then cut tight to make the pattern sharper.

The town of Nain is known worldwide for producing some of the finest handmade carpets. What is special about Nain carpets is the high percentage of silk used in their manufacture.

In addition to the high quality of the material itself, the patterns and color combinations that the weavers use for their rugs are simply magnificent.

The city of Nain

Nain is a small town in the center of Iran, just a few kilometers away from the other famous carpet producing town Isfahan .

Interestingly, unlike other carpet producing towns, Nain was in the Iran historical seen no carpet producing town. Before the 20th century, the city was known around the world for the production of high-quality, handmade woolen textiles.

However, at the beginning of the 20th century, when this activity declined for various reasons, the authorities began to focus on carpet production. Originally, the carpets were woven by weavers from the nearby city of Isfahan.

This is one of the reasons why, when looking at contemporary Nain carpets, one can see that many of them share similar design elements to the Isfahan carpets.

However, despite these similarities, it is not too difficult to distinguish a Nain rug as they retain their unique characteristics of color and design.

Because when the local Nain tribes started weaving their own carpets, they brought their own personal style to their work and gave it some distinctive features that make these carpets instantly identifiable.

No carpets Safavid design

Nain rugs are inspired by Safavid design. During their reign between 1502 and 1722, the Safavid rulers made numerous changes to the patterns and designs of the carpets.

They set up schools, workshops and factories where the Nain weavers were encouraged and guided to produce more sophisticated carpets with very complex and intricate designs.

Safavid influence can be seen in the stylized medallions, floral motifs, tendrils and mythical creatures found in the Nain carpets.

Some highly skilled master weavers even weave human figures into their designs.

Who is the master artist Fatollah Habibian?
Master Artist Fatollah Habibian is a well-known and revered master weaver from Nain. He is widely regarded as the "father of Nain rugs".

Fatollah Habibian founded one of the most famous carpet workshops in Nain

All Nain rugs made in their workshop were of the highest quality, with refined and intricate patterns and precise weaving techniques performed by skilled weavers.

Fatollah Habibian and his brother Mohammed Habibian ran the workshop until their deaths. The quality, trust and prestige of the Habibian signature remain unmatched.

LA, the fineness indicator for Nain carpets

LA is a Farsi term meaning layers. In Nain rugs, it refers to the layers of the individual warp threads used to weave the rug. Since the extra length of the warp yarns makes up the fringes, the LAA can also be counted as the number of strands of yarn that make up a fringe.

The LA is used to evaluate the quality of Nain carpets. A Nain carpet with an LA of 4 is considered the best.

Nain carpets with an LA of 9 are also considered to be of high quality, but they are the worst of the Nain carpets. This says a lot about the high quality of Nain rugs in general.

Construction of oriental carpets from Nain

Nain rugs typically have a cotton ground and a cropped fleece of high-quality wool and cork silk that clearly defines the design elements. They are crafted with asymmetrical Persian knots.

The construction of Nain rugs differs from most other types of Persian rugs in that they are made of pressed cotton warps and two strands of cotton weft. The warp threads are the threads that run top to bottom, while the weft threads are the threads that run side to side.

By pulling hard on the weft threads from both sides, the warp threads move up and down, creating a pressed warp.

Nain Carpet Patterns Nain weavers mainly used the Shah Abbas pattern to create their motifs.

Nain rugs are typically characterized by very elaborate and finely detailed curved floral motifs with forked leaves, reminiscent of the arabesque style. Animal motifs were often interspersed.

Another motif commonly found on Nain rugs is the Islami pattern,