11'8" x 17'1" Persian Bijar Rug | Red and Navy Medallion Design | Oversize
An oversize Bijar at 11'8" x 17'1" is already an uncommon find, and this one is knotted at approximately 450 to 500 knots per square inch, more than double the count of typical village Bijar work. The pile is a fine grade of wool on a cotton foundation, clipped dense and plush, and the rug has never been used. Corners are square and balanced, the soft fringe is intact at both ends, and the rug ships with a certificate of authenticity recording origin, materials and knot count.
Please Note About the Photographs:
The gentle waves and lines visible across the surface in some photographs are fold marks from storage, not wear. They relax on their own once the rug lies flat, and the rug is steamed and pressed before shipping.
Design and Motifs
The layout is built around a central medallion, the classic Bijar anchor, set into a field that mixes geometric structure with floral drawing. Stylized flowers and intertwining vines carry the pattern outward from the medallion, and the corners answer it in balance, so the composition holds together across more than 17 feet of length. The field is framed by a series of layered borders, each worked in vine and flower motifs, that step the design out to the edge in the disciplined way Bijar workshops are known for. At this knot count the floral elements keep clean outlines rather than the blockier drawing seen in coarser Bijars.
Deep Reds and Blues With a Wide Supporting Palette
Deep red and navy blue lead the palette, giving the rug the saturated, grounded look that suits a large formal room. Around them the weavers worked a broad range of supporting tones: ivory and beige for contrast and light, forest green and olive in the leaf forms, sky blue, pink and salmon in the smaller blossoms, gold accents, and black and brown for outlines that keep every motif crisp. With 12 colors in play the surface stays lively up close while reading as a rich, unified red and blue rug from across the room.
Bijar, the Iron Rug of Persia
Bijar is a Kurdish town in western Persia, and its weavers earned their rugs the name the iron rugs of Persia through a wet-weaving technique: the wool is dampened and each row of weft is beaten down hard with a metal comb, compacting the knots into a fabric that is stiff, heavy and almost impossible to wear out. Most Persian Bijar rugs are village pieces well under 200 knots per square inch. At 450 to 500 this one belongs to the finest workshop tier, with that same iron construction behind much finer drawing. Among oversize Persian rugs, a never-used Bijar of this fineness at 11'8" x 17'1" is a rare combination, and its build means it will hold its pile for generations.
