This antique Persian Bijar rug measures 13'6" x 19'2", a true palace size, and shows the open-field design that the finest old Bijars are known for. A plain copper-red field, hand-knotted in lustrous wool, is left mostly bare so the eye travels straight to the navy medallion at its center. Like every Bijar, it is built with the dense, weighty knotting that earned the type its name as the iron rug of Persia.

Open Field and Anchor Medallion

At the center sits a stepped navy diamond medallion packed with fine Herati florals, finished top and bottom with the anchor-shaped pendants that give this design its name. Dark navy spandrels, equally dense with flowers, fill the four corners, and the contrast of those richly drawn corners against the open red ground is exactly what makes this format so prized. A turtle-palmette border in ivory and red, threaded with a meandering vine, frames the whole and carries the eye around all nineteen feet of its length.

Color and Character

The field reads as a deep copper red, an old natural madder tone, worked with navy, ivory, soft blue, rose, green, and gold through the medallion and borders. Gentle abrash, the subtle striations of color across the field, is the honest signature of hand-dyed wool and natural variation from one dye lot to the next, and on a piece of this scale it gives the surface real depth and movement. The rug is clean, and its sides and ends have been professionally secured.

Construction and Origin

Bijar is a Kurdish town in northwest Persia whose weavers beat each row of wefts down with a metal comb until the foundation is packed solid, the method behind the iron rug name. This antique example is hand-knotted in wool on a wool foundation, the classic construction for old Bijars, and at palace size it is heavy, substantial, and built to last generations more. To learn more, read our complete guide to Bijar rugs, see how to date an Oriental rug, or browse the full Bijar rugs collection. As a direct importer, Rugs.net offers free shipping and free returns to all 50 states, same-day refunds, and our price beat guarantee.