Mood and Birjand rugs: fine weaving of South Khorasan

Location

Mood (Mud) is a village near Birjand in South Khorasan province.

Designs

Look for all-over mina-khani or herati patterns, sometimes around a small medallion, on ivory, red or navy grounds.

Materials

Good Mood rugs use fine Khorasan wool, sometimes with silk outlining motifs to add shine. Ask whether the 'silk' is real silk or mercerised cotton.

Construction

Asymmetric knots on cotton foundations; some areas use jufti knotting, as in other Khorasan rugs.

Buying checklist

• Ask the seller what the regional name is based on: town, village group or design only
• Turn the rug over and look at knot type, warp colour and weft count
• Check ends, sides and pile height for wear or re-weaving
• Ask whether dyes have run or been chemically washed
• Do a burn test on a loose fibre only with permission, or ask the seller to confirm silk
• Get any claim about age, region or handmade origin in writing

Care

Silk highlights are vulnerable to water. Spot-clean carefully and leave washing to a specialist.

A note on this guide

This is general information from the CraftPersia editorial team and has not been reviewed by a specialist. Regional names in the rug trade are market labels, and design alone is weak evidence of origin. This guide is not a valuation or authentication.