Garrus Bidjar Medallion Carpet

This is a with a central medallion carpet design 19th century from Garrus ( Gerous or Garus ) region, Eastern Kurdistan area. Garrus is located in the foothills approaching the flatlands of Persia, Garrus has been a significant Kurdish city since antiquity when it was the capital of Media Minor. Important writers, scientists, and politicians from Garrus contributed to the Safavid dynasty, and it was a major commercial center. Garrus was more populous than Senna in the nineteenth century. As it was in the west of Persia, it was fortunate to escape the ravages of the Afghans and to a certain extent the economic incompetence of Nadir Shah. In the eighteenth century, it benefited from the lack of a centralized Persian government bent on collecting high taxes, and from the benign, decentralized rule of the Zands. The brilliant weaving school of Garrus, like that of Senna, did not develop in a vacuum in a process of deus ex machina as Edwards proposed, but rather was the product of centuries of skill and tradition. Garrus weaving benefited from the area's stability over the centuries, which meant that there was enough time for the art to develop and become refined. Moreover, this was a rich province whose economy could support its products, and which was located sufficiently close to the major commercial arteries of western Asia to benefit from international commerce. It was not far from Tabriz and its markets. In 1880 European and Tabriz merchants developed workshops in Garrus for weaving the famed carpets that are called "Bijar (Bidjar)" today. These weavings have been treasured and preserved down the years by rug collectors. The rich colors applied by Garrus dyers to the lustrous hard wool in multi-flowered patterns are considered by many to be the most attractive of Kurdish urban weavings. This carpet's design shows a vigorous central medallion; quarters of the same medallion in the four corners of the field and ornamented with floral forms contrasting with the border. In the field, a rich assortment of decorative but naturalistic flowers, leaves, and palmettes. The design of the carpet is interpreted by our designers and soft colors are used for this rug.