Category: village
Price range: low to medium/high
General details Made in the town of Heriz in north-west Persia and in a number of outlying villages stretching to Tabriz. Despite this proximity to Tabriz. Heriz rugs possess an appearance and character that is unmistakably their own. The dominant composition is based on a huge angular central medallion, set against a field of geometrically stylized floral forms, within a framework of echoing, and inwardly decorated corners. This boldly heraldic scheme is usually coloured in either strong or slightly muted shades of brick red, burnt orange and occasionally deep blues, with ivory, yellow and paler reds. At its best, it is one of the most powerful decorative schemes. This design is most closely associated with the town itself, which also produces equally heraldic allover floral schemes with number of slight variations being produced in the surrounding villages. The most frequently encountered of these are from Mehriban, which often employs the same floral decorations in an allover format, and Ahar, a village noted for its well made, tightly woven rugs in slightly curvilinear medallion-and-corner designs. The knot-count of Heriz rugs is not particularly high, but they are compact and durable, with good quality wool normally clipped low/medium to medium, and are generally regarded as the best of the more coarsely woven Persian rugs. The finest examples are made in Heriz and Ahar; slightly interior, though very reasonable items are produced in Mehriban. The quality of Goeravan rugs is comparatively low.
Resale value: Because of their durability and reasonable price, the better quality Heriz rugs – particularly those made in the town itself and, to a lesser degree, those from Ahar – are fair investments. The growing scarcity of authentic Persian village and tribal items may lead to all Heriz rugs becoming more collectable in the future.