Highly desirable by carpet lovers worldwide, Sarough Carpets are exquisitely hand woven specimens of floor coverings considered as valuable collectibles. Found both in museums as well as homes of the rich, Sarouk or Sarough date back to their origin in 19th century Persia.
Sarough carpets and rugs are still present with the antique ones to mesmerize that are woven in both Persian as well as Turkish knotting styles. Such delightful influences could be credited to the various ancient ruling dynasties that ruled the weaving areas and the proximity to Turkish regions also.
The most striking feature of a Sarough rug is the motif of elegant looking vines. Greatly admired and possessed by Americans, characteristic curvilinear or geometric patterns come in both traditional and American styles nowadays. Nevertheless, the traditional ones display the classic Herati, Boteh, or Gul Hannai, along with an entire or medallion layout with a oval, hexagonal, diamond, angular floral or, round shapes.
Traditional Sarouk has colors like red, blue, ocher, burnt orange, and champagne. The American mood favors red and blue, predominantly. To create that noteworthy contrast between the background and the motifs, they are outlined with lighter red, light yellow, or turquoise shades. An unusual yet American shade of pink or fuchsia, also called doughy pink is given to the carpet to add an American touch.
Sarouk carpets and rugs are usually seen with cotton foundation and pile made of wool. They are made in a variety of sizes ranging from mid to large size.
Sarouk is a village situated in northern region of the central western Iran. It is well known for the making of floral rugs for the American market in the 1920’s-1930. Before the First World War, the central medallion design was the prominent one until this was filled-in with the example of detached floral spread on burgundy or dark pink backdrops. Some navy blue ground Sarouks are at times seen as well.