13' x 19'7" Persian Bijar Rug | Nested Herati Hexagons | Burgundy and Cream | Burgundy Floral Border
At 13' x 19'7", this Persian Bijar covers a great room, a ballroom-scale dining room or a grand hall in a single piece. It is hand-knotted in wool pile on a cotton foundation at approximately 450 to 500 knots per square inch, an exceptional count for a Bijar, with a short, dense pile about 3/8 inch high that lies flat and firm. A rug this large and this finely knotted represents years of work at the loom. It has never been used, is in excellent condition and comes with a certificate of authenticity. It is one of the most important pieces among our palace size Persian rugs.
Please Note About the Photographs:
The light lines and wrinkles visible in some photos come from folding a rug of this size for storage and shipping, not from wear. They relax within a few days once the rug lies flat, and every rug is steamed and pressed before it ships.
Design and Motifs
The field is built from a series of nested hexagons that step outward from the center like ripples. A cream hexagon filled with fine herati sits at the heart, enclosed by a burgundy band, then a gold-cream band, then another burgundy band, each one larger than the last, with small pendant palmettes marking the points at each end. Every band carries the same herati repeat of a rosette set in a diamond with curling leaves, the motif Bijar weavers also call mahi, so the design changes through color rather than through different patterns. On a rug nearly 20 feet long, these alternating bands create a strong sense of depth and movement. The burgundy main border is filled with yellow rosettes and blue, pink and cream flowers on scrolling vines, framed by narrow guard stripes and a dark outer edge.
Burgundy, Cream and Gold
Burgundy and dark red carry the darker bands and the main border, a deep wine tone that gives the rug weight and warmth across such a large surface. Cream alternates with it in the center and the lighter bands, and in the herati it takes on a golden cast where yellow is worked into the rosettes. Black draws the lattice outlines and fills the darkest band, sharpening every repeat. In the border, yellow rosettes stand out brightly against the burgundy ground, joined by light blue and green flowers and leaves that add cool accents. Brown softens the outlines and some of the smaller details. The alternation of light and dark bands is what makes the design read so clearly from across a large room, while the fine herati rewards a closer look.
Bijar Weaving at Palace Scale
Bijar, a town in the Kurdish highlands of western Persia, is famous for its wet-loom method, in which the wool is dampened and each row of knots is beaten down hard with a heavy comb. That technique gives Bijar rugs their dense, heavy body and is the reason the trade calls them the iron rugs of Persia. Weaving a Bijar at this size and knot count takes a team of skilled weavers and a very large loom, which is why palace size Bijars with fine herati are so rarely seen. Browse our other Persian Bijar rugs to compare sizes and designs. This one brings that legendary durability to a 13' x 19'7" format, nested burgundy and cream hexagons stretching nearly 20 feet.
