6'7" x 10'2 Persian Bijar Rug | Herati Fish Design, Red Field | Iron Rug of Persia

This is a Persian Bijar, 6'7" x 10'2", known the world over as the iron rug of Persia. Bijar weavers pack the knots tightly and beat them down hard with a metal comb, so the finished rug is famously dense and nearly indestructible, which is why so many collectors call Bijar the toughest and most enduring of all wool rugs. It is hand-knotted in wool on a cotton foundation, in excellent condition, and woven at roughly 360 to 380 knots per square inch, which is very fine for this weaving town. Every rug we ship includes a certificate of authenticity.

Design and Motifs

The whole field is filled with the herati, or fish, design: a fine diamond lattice where each cell holds a small rosette flanked by curved leaves, repeated edge to edge so the ground never sits still. At the center is a classic pole medallion, a large hexagonal shape on an ivory ground that steps inward through nested diamond frames to a darker inner core, with slender pendants reaching toward each end. The same herati fills the medallion as fills the field, so the pattern reads as one continuous fabric interrupted only by the change in ground color. Around it runs a layered border, a wide ivory main band carrying a floral vine of palmettes and rosettes, set between narrow guard stripes including a candy-stripe barber-pole that Bijar weavers love. The drawing is tight and disciplined from corner to corner.

Color and Palette

The field is a warm brick red that shifts toward terracotta and soft salmon as the light moves, and against it the tiny herati pattern picks up navy, green, gold, ivory and touches of rose. The central medallion drops to a cool ivory that lifts it clean out of the red, with a dark navy heart at its middle for contrast. The main border returns to ivory, carrying its floral vine in red, green, navy and pink, edged by rust and green guard stripes. It is the classic Bijar palette, warm and grounded, formal without ever going cold, the kind of coloring that has anchored traditional rooms for generations.

Origin and Weave

Bijar sits in the Kurdish region of northwest Persia and gave the rug world its most famous nickname, the iron rug, earned by a weaving method that produces an unusually thick, heavy and hard-wearing fabric. The herati field seen here is the town's signature drawing, and at 360 to 380 knots per square inch this example is finer than most Bijar you will find. Hand-knotted in wool on a sturdy cotton foundation, it is built to be walked on for decades and handed down. In the same size range we keep other 7x10 and 6x9 Persian Bijar rugs for anyone comparing options.