Photo by Bekky Bekks

Originally Posted On: https://rugsource.com/your-guide-to-gabbeh-rugs/

Gabbeh rugs are somewhat rare throughout the United States, and here we’ll discuss everything you need to know about this magical part of our online inventory!

What Is A Gabbeh?

Gabbeh rugs are one of the finest, most luxurious selections throughout the international rug marketplace. Gabbeh rugs are known for having somewhat simple, modern designs all throughout an illustrious history, and many suggest these rugs are folk inspired with the use of animal, human and plant forms throughout their beautiful designs.

History of Gabbeh Rugs

Gabbeh rugs became popular throughout the late 19^th century, and back then they were handmade by Lori or Qashqai tribal weavers throughout the Zagros Mountains in Iran. Although the Qashqai are considered to be the original crafters of this rug style, several other tribes began creating Gabbeh rugs as well, including the Kurds and the Bahktiari.

The word Gabbeh directly translates to unfinished, and the name Gabbeh sometimes varied from tribe to tribe for many years. For instance, these rugs have also been referred to as a Lori rug because they were woven by the Lori tribe. Sometimes they’re acknowledged simply by the town or city they are traded within, an example being the city of Shiraz and ‘Shiraz-Gabbeh’ rugs.

Texture and Materials

Gabbeh rugs will always be made with a very complex wool composition and foundation, and they are well known for their high pile and overall warmth. It’s normal for the wool found in Gabbeh rugs to be of very high quality, typically from around a sheep’s neck that was bred by the crafters themselves.

When it comes to overall structure, Gabbeh rugs are frequently a rather rough cut of many different types of rich colors. They are very strong, durable rugs that simultaneously have an unbeatable, smooth texture.

Weaving Techniques

Gabbeh rugs are woven in a very unique manner, typically each knot being knotted one by one. Because of this knotting style, it’s common to notice Gabbehs with rather a low knot per inch count. This low knot count (typically around 50-150 knots per square inch) is something that is somewhat different than other fine, Oriental rugs; but you should not be fooled by this metric as this low knot density actually contributes greatly to the overall uniqueness of Gabbeh rugs!

Gabbeh rugs are hand-knotted, so it’s a very meticulous process that takes crafters several months to fully come to a finished product. So there truly is no mistaking just how special these rugs are in terms of the overall creation process, but what really sets them over the top are their beautiful designs!

Patterns and Designs

Although the patterns of Gabbeh rugs are generally considered to be basic in that they typically feature limited numbers of decorative designs, there truly is a limitless amount of beauty and modern aesthetic to these timeless rugs throughout their patterns. Most of the decorative designs found within Gabbehs will consist of people, animals, plants and geometric patterns, and there’s truly no denying just how unique these designs are throughout the entirety of the international marketplace!

In terms of popular colors found within Gabbeh rugs, red and yellow are very common but there really isn’t any constraints placed upon these master weavers. Part of what makes the entire design of Gabbeh rugs so unique is that they’re always going to be one-of-a-kind artworks based upon the exclusive input of the creative weaver.

Colors

Authentic Gabbeh rugs are always made via natural vegetable dyes, which will subsequently do wonders in terms of maintaining the longevity of the rug’s fabrics and overall freshness. Red and yellow are common colors found within Gabbeh rugs, but as we mentioned above there can also be many other types of colors depending upon the weaver’s personal interests.

Sizes

It’s somewhat common for Gabbeh rugs to come in the 3’x5’ size, which for many rug aficionados may seem somewhat small. But you can be rest assured that although Gabbeh rugs do tend to run rather small, their intricate designs and creativity makes them unmatched throughout the rest of the rug world!

Reach Out To The Experts At Rug Source For More Information About Our Selection Of Gabbeh Rugs!

All of us at Rug Source live for the opportunities to match our clients up with beautiful area rugs of all types, and incredible artworks like Gabbeh rugs truly are our passion!

We have a great collection of these rare rugs, so feel free to contact us online or call us at 980-422-4080 or 704-763-0979 today to get in touch with one of our experts who’ll be happy to answer any of your questions/concerns about our selections of Gabbeh rugs!