KHORASAN CARPET

handwoven floor covering made in the region of Khorasan, in northeastern Iran. Herat carpets are the classic carpets of the district. From the late 18th and early 19th centuries there are carpets in the herati pattern, probably made in villages of the district. A lattice that peeps through a maze of blossoms and leaves, it is a repeat pattern, its characteristic border showing pairs of smoothly curved split arabesques. These carpets are in jofti Senna (Sehna) knotting (upon four warps) on a cotton foundation. The designs of room-sized carpets made in Meshed, Birjand, and villages nearby are characterized by medallions that are often unusually round; grounds that revive the coiling stems of the Herat classic carpets; and borders that show an unusual number of narrow stripes. Most of these carpets, too, are jofti knotted. Reds are dyed with cochineal, which, with the significant amount of blue used in the rugs, gives the carpets a purplish cast. The combination of soft wool and the inadequacies of construction has reduced their durability, however.