Tabriz, the capital city of East Azarbaijan Province in northwest of Iran, has been a world famous carpet making center.

According to experts, this kind of rug is among the most beautiful ones ever made; it defines the legends and history together with the sensitivity of the Persian world. Tabriz rugs are extremely aesthetically pleasing works of art which gather in their elegant patterns the myth of ancient traditions. 

The art of Tabriz carpet was in its zenith in the 12th-16th centuries. About 200 Tabriz school masterpieces of the classical or "golden" period of the 14th century are characterized by a harmonic merge of the arts of miniature paintings and weaving, by a high level of craftsmanship demonstrated by artists and carpet weavers.

This ancient city has a tumultuous story and despite the wars, invasions and occupations, the inhabitants of the city managed to make the rug craftsmanship thrive.

The development of the Tabriz rug business throughout history was dominated by single families and sometimes even dynasties. During the Safavid era (1499-1722), this art reached its cultural and economic climax, when members of the Safavid dynasty founded workshops and improved the commercial relationships, thus making Tabriz one of the artistic centers of Iran. However, Tabriz is now one of the main producers of high quality rugs in the country.

But why is a Tabriz rug so special? 

In addition to its high quality, these carpets depict the weaver's exceptional artistic skills, which have shown to have been transmitted from generation to generation. 

The weave is most commonly made of very fine cotton, but some craftsmen use silk or a combination of these two.

Some of the finest rugs use silk as an essential part for both the foundation and the pile, and even gold threads are interwoven in the base.

Some of the technical singularities of a Tabriz rug lie in the fact that they have double wefts usually made of cotton or wool together with cotton warps; they also have a combination of the Turkish and Persian knots (many of them have only Turkish double symmetric knots) and a tightly woven doubled foundation. The nap is slightly hard to the touch and very short trimmed for high-quality rugs and longer for the average carpet.

The patterns, colors and the large number of hues used are characteristics of a Tabriz rug and can have a palette which may range from dark red and navy blue as predominant colors, to ivy, tan, soft green and other pastels as contrasting colors. 

Tabriz rugs are known for the large number of colors used in a single piece. And usually have intricate patterns, with small and complicated details. Most Tabriz rugs have a medallion in the middle and quarters of medallion at the corners (shah abbasi, islimi, or a combination of the two), but there are some which may have geometric, simpler patterns where floral motifs are predominant, with vases, palmettos and hunting scenes near the edge. The diversity is overwhelming; however, some patterns are rare and can only be found in private collections or as family possessions.

Such magnificent rugs can bring a piece of the oriental magic into any room of your house. Who knows, maybe Aladdin's fantastic carpet will find its place straight at your feet!