The carpet-weaving enterprise of the charitable organization that runs the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Iran. It began as a small operation weaving chiefly for the shrine and, from about 1983, grew into a large-scale producer of Mashhad rugs, known for special dyes that give deep reds and blues. Rugs bearing its signature were often destined for shrines or commissioned as gifts.
Persian city rugs from Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city, in the north-east, where weaving began in the late Middle Ages. They are known for high knot density and intricate flower designs in medallion, medallion-and-corner or allover layouts, in wine-red or burgundy, deep blue, green and cream. The pile is wool on a cotton foundation and higher than in most city rugs; a silk foundation is rare, and newer silk-and-wool pieces add silk to the pile. Rugs of the closed Saber workshop are now collectible, while Astan Quds Razavi remains a well-known name.
Rugs of eastern Iran that the trade sells under the name Moud Mashad, listing them with Mashhad rugs. They usually carry a Herati design in beige, blue, rust and red and are typically signed by their maker. The foundation is cotton; older pieces have a plain wool pile, while newer ones use a silk-and-wool pile.
A weaving workshop in Mashhad (Mashad), northeastern Iran, founded around the mid-twentieth century by Abbas Gholi Saber and known for large, high-end rugs of typically about 12 square meters (roughly 129 square feet, or 10 by 13 feet) and up, made on about sixty looms at its peak. Some pieces use a silk foundation, which is very uncommon among Mashhad rugs, usually woven wool on cotton. After the founder's death his longtime foreman reportedly kept up the same quality but stopped adding the Saber signature, so signed rugs are a limited, collectible group.