Old Nain
86 cm x 68 cm
Nr. 9603

Floral Old Nain, light blue with border

Place of origin

Nain is one of the best known rug provenances (origin, source) of Iran. The city of Nain is located to the northwest of Isfahan and has an old weaving tradition. Prior to the Qajar dynasty (1794 - 1925), the highest quality robes for noblemen, so-called Abas, were made there. Under the influence of the western culture, the traditional robe as clothing was replaced by suits. The weavers transformed their business and began to knot rugs.

Today's Nain rugs owe their unmistakable patterns and color combinations especially to Master Hadj Fatollah Habibian Naiini. He limited himself to less than ten colors in knotting and thus laid the foundation for the color composition of Nain rugs, that are still very popular today. The basic colors are mostly white or beige and blue up to this day, although Nain rugs in the colors red, green and yellow are also becoming more and more common. Floral patterns, whose contours are accented with silk, are typical. Due to their simple elegance, Nain rugs also suit modern interiors.

What differentiates Nain rugs are the four quality levels, indicated by Lah ( Persian for layer). Lah describes the number of threads the warp is twined from. As the number of threads used increases, the warp and thus the knots become thicker and the density of the knots decreases. This old Nain is more than 40 years old and a true collector's item.

Patterns

The luxuriant flower motifs of this Nain are elegant and varied. The graceful vegetative symbols representing flowers, leaves and branches are artfully intertwined.

This Nain is decorated with the so-called Mehrab or Mihrab motif. Mehrab refers to the Islamic prayer niche in mosques, which shows the direction of prayer qibla, i.e. the direction of Mecca. Traditionally, rugs with the Mehrab motif are used by Muslims for prayer and are therefore particularly treasured.

The edge of the rug is decorated with an edging (border). The border forms a glorious contrast to the center.

The background of this Nain is light blue. The border features dark red and beige.

Condition

This Nain has had admirers before you. It was hand knotted about 1930. We have cleaned it thoroughly and restored it lovingly. Therefore it is in very good condition despite its age.

Material

The pile of this Nain has been woven from so-called cork wool. Cork wool is a very fine thread, almost velvety to the touch. Cork wool is obtained from the neck, belly and inner sides of the sheep's legs and is of particularly high quality. The weft and warp threads of this Nain are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and stretchable and, therefore, ideal for a durable backing fabric.