Gabbeh rugs: a beginner’s guide

What a gabbeh is

A gabbeh is a thick, loosely knotted pile rug with long wool pile and open fields of colour. It is mainly woven by nomadic and village weavers in Fars.

Designs

Designs are simple: plain fields, small animals, trees, people or stepped blocks. Modern gabbeh are often made for export with brighter colours.

What to check

Hand-spun wool, natural colour shifts (abrash) and a hand-finished edge are good signs. Machine gabbeh copies exist and are usually very even.

• Hand-spun wool
• Abrash colour bands
• Wool, not cotton, foundation in many older pieces