Rugs from the city of Bijar in Kurdistan province, northwestern Iran, and the villages around it; the name covers both fine and coarse double-wefted pieces, woven by Kurdish tribes and, in workshops, Afshar weavers. Nicknamed the “iron rugs” of Iran, they are among the heaviest rugs for their size: double wefts, symmetrical (Turkish) knots, and rows beaten down hard, often while the wool is kept wet, give a thick, dense pile. Designs run from floral, Herati, and medallion to geometric, drawing on Isfahan and Kashan as well as Russian, Caucasian, and European sources (a French-style rose bouquet among them), in jewel tones of rust, red, beige, and navy. Bijars are often small rugs or runners, large sizes are rare, and the flat-woven ends and fringes are typically braided.
Lasting lines left where a rug has been kept folded for a long time. Long-term folds can weaken the foundation until it eventually rips, which makes them one of the main hazards of storage. A small rug is therefore best rolled whole, evenly and tightly; a rug too large for that is folded evenly, first lengthwise and then across, and then rolled tight.
Village rugs from the town of Malayer and neighboring villages between Arak and Hamadan, usually dated to about the 19th century and woven on an old trade route that brought in outside designs. A cotton foundation, wool pile and symmetrical Turkish knot give a finer weave than most village rugs, with the pile clipped fairly low to show detail. Diamond or hexagonal medallions, small white dots in the border ringing the medallion and a rope-like loop effect in the rug's own border are typical marks. The south-eastern, Sarouk-like style is double-wefted and thicker, with floral medallions or Tree of Life designs; the north-western, Hamadan-like style is single-wefted, geometric and lighter in color. Small rugs and runners predominate, mostly on navy, deep red or cream grounds.
Small rugs made for Islamic prayer, each featuring a mihrab (also spelled mehrab), an arched doorway that symbolizes the niche of a mosque and reminds the person praying that they stand in a sacred space; the arch also marks the direction of Mecca. The design is unidirectional, meant to be viewed from one end, and the arch may be a bare outline or an elaborate architectural frame with columns. Prayer rugs are often no larger than about 3' x 5' (0.9 x 1.5 m), are said to date back to the very early stages of rug making in Muslim lands, and are woven by Turkmen, Baluchi, Qum, Isfahan and Malayer weavers, among others. Any small rug can serve for prayer, but a true prayer rug carries the arch as its focal point.
A method of displaying a rug on a wall as a work of art; any style, tribal or floral as well as pictorial, can be hung. Strips of strong, adhesive-free cotton fabric (for a wide rug, for example three of about 24 by 4 inches, or 61 by 10 cm; for a small rug, one strip set about 1 inch, or 2.5 cm, in from each end) are hand-stitched to the back about 2 inches (5 cm) below the top, clear of the fringe or kilim end, with stitches every 1/2 to 1 inch (1.3-2.5 cm), and folded into a pocket. A wood or metal dowel slid through the pocket rests on wall hooks strong enough to carry the weight, which avoids damaging the rug.
A size band for the smallest hand-knotted rugs, running from about 2 by 2 ft (61 x 61 cm) to 3 by 5 ft (91 x 152 cm), with 2 by 3, 2 by 4 and 3 by 4 ft in between; larger pieces fall into the medium band, which starts at roughly 4 by 6 ft (122 x 183 cm). Small rugs suit entrances, doorways, bathrooms, kitchens, hallway and staircase ends, walk-in closets, an office corner or the spot beneath a statue. Because they are light, they tend to slide and are best used with a rug pad. City, village and tribal weavings all come in this size, and tribal rugs are often woven small.