Nain: Hand-woven Carpets from the Birthplace of Persian Rugs
Nain rugs, from the city of Nain in Iran, have a high reputation and are very popular. Material as well as the workmanship is of highest class and the knot density is high; often more than one million knots per square meter. The material in the more exclusive carpets consists of wool on a silk warp or silk in the warp as well as in the weft and pile.
The Patterns of a Hand-knotted Nain Rug
Patterns with a medallion in the middle together with arabesques and floral motifs are common. The similarity to carpets from the nearby city of Isfahan is remarkable. One of the rarer type of Nain carpets on the market is the “Nain Tuteshk” and with an incredibly refined craftsmanship, they are much sought after. It sometimes occurs that carpets of slightly lower quality, with similar patterns and colors, are sold as Nain carpets.
How to Describe Our Oriental Carpets
In connection with Nain carpets some denominations occur; 4La, 6La and 9La, where “La” in farsi means layer. This denomination is used to decide the quality of a Nain carpet and it refers to the number of layer of threads that have been used in every warp-thread at the manufacturing of the carpet. The lower the number the finer and higher density the knots the carpet has. It is possible to check how many layers have been used in a carpet by counting the number of threads in one of the fringes of the carpet. The lower La-number the finer and more expensive the Nain carpets, see the following enumeration.
4La = exclusive quality – 6La = extra fine quality – 9La = good quality
It is very hard to find Nain 4La carpets today.
Nain Rugs technical specifications:
- Pile: wool yarn of fine quality or silk
- Weft: cotton yarn or silk
- Warp: cotton yarn or silk
- Knot: asymmetrical
- Knot density: 160 000 – 1 000 000 knots per square meter
Mansour’s Nain Rugs are Authentic Persian Carpets
At Mansour’s, we offer some of the finest Nain rugs and carpets as part of our collection. All of our Nain rugs are unique and of the highest quality. We have a wide variety of choices including: runner rugs, large area rugs, small area rugs, antique rugs, and contemporary rugs. These are all natural rugs, made in the true tradition and by the hands of families who have made these carpets for generations.
