JOSHAGAN RUG

floor covering handmade in the village of Jushaqan, north of Esfahan in central Iran. An astonishing mlange of rugs has been attributed by various writers to this small place, including Kerman Vase carpets and other silk rugs, together with sundry rugs of pronounced Kurdish characteristics. The one pattern that is known to have been used habitually in Jushaqan is a subdivision of the field into diamond panels, each of which contains an individual shrub or group of blossoms. This pattern may be adapted to a medallion format or enriched with elongated, bizarrely shaped panels. The border features arabesques. Joshagan rugs are Sehna knotted on a cotton foundation.