A type of Persian carpet from the Heriz district in northwestern Iran, specifically from the village of Gorevan. These rugs feature bold, geometric patterns with large central medallions and corner pieces in rich reds, blues, and ivory. Compared to standard Heriz rugs, Gorevans typically have a coarser weave, more angular designs, and a distinctive rustic character that makes them popular for traditional and transitional interiors.
The rust red for which Heriz rugs are best known, usually set with dark navy and cream in the field and border. The red itself is traditionally obtained from madder root. Local lore adds that the weavers keep the dyed wool for a while in a river of the Heriz area that carries copper minerals, that the copper shifts the dye to this rustic tone, and that this is why the color is tied so closely to Heriz; studies of carpet dyes do not document this copper effect.
Bold village rugs from the Heriz area of northwestern Iran, near Tabriz, and the best-known of all Persian village rugs. A coarse, tough woolpile on a cotton foundation, usually double-wefted for extra thickness, and a low-to-medium knot density (commonly quoted at about 120 to 170 KPSI, roughly 1,900 to 2,600 per 10 by 10 cm) make them very durable; the wool's strength is traditionally credited to copper-bearing mountain water. The classic design is a large angular medallion with four corner pieces, sometimes an allover layout, in a rust red traditionally credited to copper minerals in the local river, with dark navy and cream. Bakshaish and Serapi, the latter now over a century old, are their older forms.
The most expensive of the three grades of modern Kazak rugs that Afghan weavers make in Pakistan, above commercial and Super Kazak. Its knot density equals that of a commercial Kazak or runs slightly higher, but it offers a much wider range of patterns and harmonious colors, with designs inspired by Persian Heriz rugs, and a medium-to-thick pile that feels more luxurious. Its hand-spun wool is the best of the three grades, thick and rich, and its colors come from vegetable dyes. Although the rugs look antique, they are newly made.