Craft comparison

Under review

Namad felt vs Zilu (Meybod)

نمد · زیلو

Namad felt: A non-woven wool textile made by matting and pressing raw wool fibres with moisture, heat and friction rather than by weaving, traditionally produced across Iran for floor coverings, cloaks and protective mats. Zilu (Meybod): A dense, pileless cotton floor covering woven on a horizontal loom, historically centred on the town of Meybod near Yazd, known for its plain-weave structure and geometric pattern created through warp and weft colour arrangement.

Side by side

Namad feltZilu (Meybod)
Persian nameنمدزیلو
CategoryTextiles · Felted woolTextiles · Flatweave
Materialswoolcotton
Techniqueswet-feltingflatweave-weaving
Regionsisfahan, yazd, kermanyazd
Periodssafavid, qajar, pahlavi, contemporarysafavid, qajar, pahlavi, contemporary
Motifsgereh-geometricgereh-geometric
Current vitalityAt riskEndangered

What they share

  • Regions: yazd
  • Motifs: gereh-geometric
  • Periods: safavid, qajar, pahlavi, contemporary

How to tell them apart

  • Materials such as wool point towards Namad felt.
  • Materials such as cotton point towards Zilu (Meybod).
  • Namad felt typically involves wet-felting.
  • Zilu (Meybod) typically involves flatweave-weaving.
  • The stated place of making is a useful clue, but never proof on its own.

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Disclaimer

This comparison is educational and built from entries still under review. It cannot confirm what a particular object is.