How Persian carpets are made

Preparation

Fleece is sorted by staple length before anything else happens, because pile character is largely decided at this point. Sorted wool is scoured, carded and spun, then plied for strength.

Dyeing follows in small batches. Hand-dyed lots vary, and that variation — abrash — is visible in the finished carpet as soft horizontal banding.

Weaving

The loom is warped to the planned density. Each knot is tied around a warp pair, the row is wefted and beaten down with a heavy comb, and the pile is trimmed as work advances up the carpet.

City workshops follow a squared cartoon so several weavers can work consistently on one piece. Village and pastoral weavers work from convention and memory.

Finishing

The carpet is cut from the loom, the ends are secured, and the pile is sheared to a final even height. Washing settles the wool and brings out the dye; stretching squares the piece.