Provenance and Knotting Tradition

Heriz is a small town in the highlands of northwestern Iran, in the historic Azeri-speaking region near the Caucasus border. The town and its surrounding villages have produced rugs for centuries, but the modern Heriz vocabulary — bold geometric medallions, stepped corner spandrels, broad architectural borders — took shape in the late 19th century and has remained one of the most architecturally readable design families in the entire Persian canon. International architects and interior designers have favoured Heriz pieces for over a hundred years precisely because the design holds its own beside strong contemporary furniture rather than competing with it.

This piece was hand-knotted in Heriz, Iran, approximately seventy years ago, from 100% highland wool on a cotton foundation. The highland wool of the Heriz region is notably high in natural lanolin, which gives the surface its characteristic silken sheen and natural resistance to staining. The composition follows the classical Heriz idiom — a stepped geometric medallion anchors the field, with bold corner spandrels and a clear, architectural border. The abrash — those soft, natural variations in colour that arise from hand-spun wool and natural dyes — reads through the surface as a hallmark of authentic vintage construction.

Colour and Composition

The palette pairs warm madder red with deep indigo and quiet beige grounds — the classical Azeri triad. Seven decades of life have softened the original saturations into a balanced, slightly muted register that reads as natural and grown rather than freshly produced. A composition designed for an interior that values craft and lived patina.

Presence in the Room

At 213 × 122 cm (2.6 m²) this is a generous medium room-size piece. Three contexts in which the vintage Heriz reaches its full effect:

• Modern loft or city apartment: The geometric architecture pairs particularly well with raw concrete, blackened steel, oak and leather — a piece that adds craft and warmth to a deliberately reduced interior.
• Library or study: Beside a writing desk or beneath a reading chair, the stepped medallion reads as a clear architectural axis in a room of books and panelling.
• Stately bedroom: Beside or at the foot of a bed in a room with darker wood furniture and warm lighting, the madder red and indigo become a quiet anchor of colour.

Specifications

Responsible Sourcing · Label STEP

Djoharian is a Label STEP certified dealer for fair-trade knotted rugs — a commitment to dignified working conditions and against child labour in rug production. Visit the Label STEP entry for Djoharian Teppiche →

Djoharian — Since 1967

With roots in the Grand Carpet Bazaar of Tehran and more than five decades of experience in the international rug trade, Djoharian has specialised in antique, designer and collector rugs since 1967.

Service and Delivery

Every piece in the Djoharian Collection is expertly inspected in our atelier in Lohr am Main, professionally washed and shipped with a certificate of authenticity. Secure and fast worldwide shipping, fully insured, and personal consultation in our showroom or by video call.