Qashqa’i wagireh, Exhibition ‘South Persian Tribal Rugs’

Qashqa’i wagireh

southern Persia

circa 1900

Size: 67 x 50 cm

The Qashqa’i are renowned weavers and have produced arguably the most beautiful tribal rugs in all of Persia, employing a particularly rich palette and using the finest of materials.

Wagireh are knotted samplers which contain a repertoire of design motifs to assist the rug weaver in the creation of a larger carpet, both original and traditional. Carpets woven using ‘wagirehs’ often exhibit a more dynamic and spontaneous quality than examples from city workshops which have relied on design cartoons.

While many village workshops such as Bidjar are well known for producing wagireh, old wagirehs are rare amongst tribal groups like the Qashqa’i.