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America’s Most Exclusive Source for 100% Authentic Handmade Rugs
Isfahan Rugs

Isfahan Rugs

Shop authentic Persian Isfahan rugs, woven in Iran's former imperial capital in kork wool and silk, often on a silk foundation. Many carry the signature of their workshop, and every rug is hand-knotted, one of a kind, authenticated in-house and photographed exactly as it will arrive.

Isfahan Rugs: Half the World in Wool

Persians have a proverb: Isfahan is half the world. The old imperial capital earned it with turquoise domes, mirrored palaces and tiled arcades that still stop travelers mid-stride, and the city's weavers absorbed all of it. An Isfahan rug is that architecture translated into wool: the arabesques that climb the mosque walls, the medallions that mirror the domes overhead, drawn with a fluency no other weaving city matches. When collectors speak of Persian rugs as art, this is usually the city they mean. Every Isfahan rug on this page is hand-knotted, one-of-a-kind, and photographed exactly as it will arrive.

The materials answer the ambition. Isfahan workshops weave kork, the soft first-shearing wool from the lamb's shoulders, onto foundations of pure silk, a combination that permits 500 knots per square inch and beyond while keeping the surface luminous. The finest pieces carry a woven signature from workshops whose names function like those of painters, and we read every cartouche in-house, in Farsi, before a rug is listed. Our complete guide to Isfahan rugs covers the signatures, the materials and how the masterpiece tier is judged.

Isfahan sits at the summit of a range worth exploring whole. The neighboring city's Persian Nain rugs pursue a similar fineness in a cooler ivory-and-indigo voice, Tabriz rugs answer from the north with bolder, more architectural drama, and Bijar rugs represent the opposite virtue entirely, weaving built for centuries of use rather than the collector's wall. Our rug experts can walk you through the differences piece by piece on phone or chat, any hour of the day. With free shipping and free returns in all 50 states and Canada, half the world is easier to bring home than it sounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes an Isfahan rug special?

Isfahan was the capital of Safavid Persia, and its twentieth-century workshops revived the city's court tradition. Isfahan rugs are known for very fine knotting, kork wool with silk highlights and designs taken from the city's mosques and palaces. The best are signed by workshops such as Seirafian.

How can you tell a genuine Isfahan rug?

Look at the back and the fringe. A fine Isfahan shows small, even knots, and its fringe is often silk, a sign of a silk foundation. The design is usually a balanced central medallion with arabesques, and signed pieces carry a woven cartouche in the border. Our Isfahan rug guide explains the details.

What is the difference between Isfahan and Nain rugs?

Both come from central Iran and share similar designs. Nains tend toward ivory and blue with a lighter palette; Isfahans are usually richer in color and often denser. See Nain vs. Isfahan for a side-by-side comparison.

How much does an Isfahan rug cost?

Here, prices run from under $1,000 for small pieces to more than $50,000 for signed room-size masterworks. Knot density, silk content, signature and size drive the price.

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