Carpet glossary: J-L
Jaipur carpets, handknotted carpets manufactured in the district of Jaipur, India.
Jerevan carpets, Yerevan carpets, handknotted carpets from the city of Jerevan in Armenia. Older Jerevan carpets are much coveted and are often called Eriwan- or Erevan carpets. The carpets that are newly produced come with patterns borrowed from the whole Caucasian area.
Jomut carpets, a different name for Yomut carpets.
Joraghan carpets, handknotted carpets in rough wool from the district of Hamadan, Iran.
Joshagan carpets, Djoscheghan carpets, handknotted carpets from the city of Joshagan in central Iran. On these carpets a medallion with rhomb motifs are the most common, but also mina khani motifs, gül in henna motifs and weeping willow-motifs occur. The ground colour is blue, beige or red and newly made Joshagan carpets are known for their good handicraft quality.
Jozan carpets, Josan carpets , are manufactured in the village of Jozan, Iran. They are of high quality and are inspired by the Sarough carpets from the early 20th century. The patterns are a bit softer with ceremonious drawn motifs of vases or medallions with or without corner motifs. The carpets are also called Jozan-Sarough or Malayer-Sarough and the quality is comparable with Sarough and Malayer.
Jufti knot, a carpet knot where the Turkish or Persian knot is knotted around four warp-threads instead of two. In that way the carpet takes a shorter time to knot, but in return you get a much less durable surface on the carpet.
Read more about Jufti knots here!
Jute, Co´rchorus, a family of limeplants with approximately 40 species of herbal plants. The material was used in former times for the warp in Indo carpets, but did not provide any durability because it is hard and fragile.
Kaba-Karaman carpets, they are knotted in the city of Karaman in the district of Konya, Turkey, by nomads. The carpets, often with a rough knotting, have Caucasian patterns.
Kabistan, a more exclusive name in trading for Shirvan carpets of a certain size (Kelley).
Kaiseri carpets, a different name for Kayseri carpets.
Karabach carpets, Karabagh carpets, handknotted carpets from the southern Caucasus. These carpets often have geometrical patterns, but also inspired, stylized floral motifs from Iran, including roses and flowers with French influence. The carpets often have double rows of konts between the wefts; pile of wool in cochenill-red is common.
Karachi carpets, handknotted carpets from the city of Karachi in Pakistan and its surrounding areas.
Karachop carpets, handknotted carpets from Caucasus, see Kazak carpets.
Karadagh carpets, handknotted runners from the district of Karabagh near the border to Caucasia.
Karadja carpets, a different name for Karaje carpets.
Karagheus carpets, handknotted carpets from the district of Hamadan, Iran. These carpets often have a finer quality with geometrical drawn medallions that resemble Feraghan carpets.
Karaja carpets, a different name for Karaje carpets.
Karaje carpets, Karadja, Karaja carpets, handknotted carpets from the area around the village of Karaje in north-western Iran. The central piece of the carpets are generously decorated with several geometrical medallions dominated by red and blue colours. The Karaje carpets are knotted with the Hamadan technique, with one weft thread. Small sizes (up to Dozar) and runners are most common.
Karatjop carpets, handknotted carpets from the village of Karatjop in Georgia. See Kazak carpets.
Karistan carpets, a kind of handknotted carpets from Romania.
Kashan carpets, a different name for Keshan carpets.
Kashgai carpets, a different name for Ghashghai carpets.
Read more about Ghashghai carpets here!
Kashgar carpets, handknotted carpets from Xinjiang (East Turkestan) in western China.
Kashkooli, Gashgüli, Kashkoli , a denomination for Gabbeh and Ghashghai carpets referring to a shorter pile and higher knot density.
Kashmar carpets, handknotted carpets from the area of Kashmar in eastern Iran. See also Khorasan carpets.
Kashmir carpets, handknotted carpets from the Kashmir area in India and in Pakistan. These carpets were manufactured here already in the 15th century. Nowadays a large production of high knot density carpets with good wool quality occur, but unfortunately the plagiarism of the patterns make them less interesting in their artistic value.
Kaxgar carpets, handknotted carpets from Xinjiang (East Turkestan) in western China.
Kayseri carpets, handknotted carpets from the city of Kayseri in central Turkey. The sizes are mostly smaller (also saff carpets are made). The patterns often consists of a prayer niche motif or Persian with soft colouring scale and beige ground colours. Besides the production of wool carpets a large production of silk carpets in a varying quality occur, also mercerised cotton is a common material.
Read more about Turkish carpets here!
Kazak carpets, Kazach, Kasak carpets , handknotted carpets from the area north and west of the Sevan Sea in southwestern Caucasia. The carpets are originally named after the village of Kazak, where they were manufactured before 1925, and they are the most well-known and appreciated ones of the Caucasian carpets. They are characterized from their long pile and sometimes up to eight weft threads between the rows of knots. The relatively loose knotted carpets have a pile of wool of high quality, which gives them good durability. They are mostly knotted in Dozar-size (approximately 200x120 cm) and are often evidently wide in comparison to the length. The colours are strong and the patterns are large and distinctive.
Kazakja, a denomination of smaller Kazak carpet.
Kelim, (Turk. kilim, from the Persian word gilim "roughly made blanket" ). This is the most common kind of a handmade Oriental flat-weave. Kelim is also the denomination on the technique of weaving where the pattern is created by the weft threads, which are spun looser than the warp and completely covering this when they are packed together. The technique, which exists in a number of varieties, implies that the weft does not cover the whole width of the carpet, but "turns" when one want to change the colour. When changing colour a vertical gap is formed, a slit, which should not be too long due to its durability and can therefore often moved side-ways. This creates the characteristic stair-like diagonal patterns. Most of the weaves are equilateral and have covered thread ends. Anatolian kelims often have these loose ends on the backside and are usually, due to the small looms, woven in two lengths (with matching patterns so that they can be stitched together). The patterns are traditional and unaffected by the European styles. Extensive kelim weaving occured for example in the Taurus Mountains in Turkey, Caucasus and northwestern and southern Iran.
Kellegi, a denomination for the carpet that are placed crosswise in the set of carpets that the Iranian family often decorates a room with. Kellegi has also given name to the carpet denomination Kelley.
Kelley, kellei, size denomination for handknotted carpets where the length is unusually large (300-400 cm) in comparison to its width (however at least 120 cm).
Kemere carpets, handknotted carpets of a stronger type from the district of Irak-Ajemi.
Kenaréh, size denomination for Oriental carpets, runners, maximum width approximately 120 cm.
Kerman carpets, Kirman carpets , handknotted carpets from the city of Kerman in southeastern Iran.
Read more about Kerman carpets here!
Kerman-Afshar carpets, handknotted carpets from southeastern Iran.
Read more about Afshar carpets here!
Kerman-Lavar carpets, Kerman-Raver carpets, handknotted carpets from the city of Ravar north of the city Kerman in southeastern Iran. The best Kerman carpets are believed to be knotted here. Nowadays Ravar or the distortion Laver (Lavar) are used as a trading and quality denomination, sometimes even on Kerman carpets of relatively low quality.
Keshan carpets, Kashan carpets , handknotted carpets from the city of Kashan and its surroundings in central Iran.
Read more about Keshan carpets here!
Khal Mohammadi, carpets that are manufactured in villages and in workshops in Afghanistan through guidance of Khal Mohammadi . The carpets are very durable and are considered to be the best carpets with the highest quality from Afghanistan which has been achieved by using natural dyes in an excellent way. They can sometimes be made in Pakistan by refugees from Afghanistan who fled across the border.
Read more about Afghanian carpets here!
Khamse carpets, handknotted carpets from the area around Khamse north of the city Hamadan in north-western Iran. See also Hamadan carpets.
Kheft, a kind of quality marking on Isfahan carpets, consisting of different colours on the warp threads.
Read more about Kheft and Isfahan carpets here!
Kheshti, a different name for Garden motif.
Read more about patterns here!
Khila carpets, handknotted carpets from the areas around Baku in Azerbajdzjan.
Khorasan carpets, handknotted carpets from the province of Khorasan in the northeast of Iran. The carpets have a high knot density on a warp of cotton with typical Persian patterns; medallions, palmettes, arabesques, Mir-e butha and Herati patterns. The special thing about these carpets are the diligent use of cochenil-red and a pile that despite its high quality is both soft and pliable. The Khorasan carpets are manufactured in varying sizes and belongs to the group of carpets such as the Mashad, Dorukhsh, Birjand, Moud, Nain and Kashmar carpets.
Read more about Persian carpets here!
Khorjin, a small saddle bag from Persia and Turkey.
Kiaba, a size denomination on Oriental carpets. Size approximately 170 × 270 cm or longer.
Kilim, a different name for Kelim.
Kirman carpets, a different name for Kerman carpets.
Kirman-Laver carpets, a different name for Kerman-Ravar carpets.
Kir-Sher carpets, handknotted carpets from the city of Kir-Sher in Turkey.
Kizyl-Ajak carpets, handknotted carpet from the area between the city Kerki and the river Amu Darja , Turkmanistan.
Klardasht carpets, these carpets are manufactured in the village Klardasht in northern Iran.
Read more about Klardasht carpets here!
Koliai carpets, handknotted carpets manufactured by semi-nomadic Kolyais (Kurds) from the area around the city Songhor in western Iran.
Read more about Koliai carpets here!
Koltuk carpets, a different name for Goltuk carpets.
Kolyai carpets, a different name for Koliai carpets.
Komat carpets, handknotted carpets of middle thick quality from the district of Irak-Ajemi.
Konya carpets, Konia carpets, handknotted carpets from Konya in Turkey. Older examples, from the 19th century and before, often have borders on the short sides that are different from the ones on the longer sides. The newer carpets are entirely manufactured in wool and in sizes up to Dozar. The patterning, often Mihrab, are sparse and with a warm red colour.
Koy carpets, handknotted carpets from the district of Azerbaijan that resembles the Tabriz carpets.
Kula carpets, Kulah carpets, handknotted carpets from the city of Kula in western Turkey. In newer and older Kula carpets a special head border consisting of several thin lines with small floral motifs, as well as mihrab patterns, occur.
Kum-Kapu carpets, handknotted carpets from the quarter of the town Kumkapi in Istanbul, Turkey. The carpets have a very high knot density and have Persian patterns that often are made of silk with gold and silver threads. They were knotted between 1890 and 1910 (approximately) by immigrated Armenians from Kayseri in central Turkey and the carpets are very rare today. Kum-kapu are also used as a quality denomination for the finest Anatolian silk carpets.
Kurdish carpets, carpets that are manufactured by Kurdish nomads, semi-nomads and residents mainly in western Iran and south-eastern Turkey. There are also a smaller enclave of carpet knotting Kurds in the area of Quchan in north-western Iran. Kurdish carpets manufactured before World War II often have a warp of wool, while the recent carpets often have a warp made of cotton. The number of weft threads are 2-4 between the rows of knots and the motifs are heavily stylized, often geometrical and with rough heavily contrasting characteristic colours. Some of the Kurdish carpets includes, the Bakhthiari, Bijar, Goltuk, Koliai and Senna carpets are counted.
La, (Farsi word for layer) . In connection with Nain carpets the denominations 4La, 6La and 9La often occur. These denominations are used to determine the quality of a Nain carpet and refers to the number of threads that are used for every warp-thread when manufacturing. The lower the number, the more exclusive and high knot density the carpet has. It is possible to control how many layers that have been used by counting the number of threads in one of the carpets fringes - if you are able to see 6 threads then it is a 6La carpet. In other words: the lower number the finer and more exclusive and expensive carpets, see the following enumeration: 4La = exclusive quality - 6La = extra fine quality - 9La = good quality. Nowadays it is very hard to find Nain 4La carpets.
Read more about Nain carpets here!
Lâdik carpets, handknotted carpets from the village of Lâdik in Turkey. These, extremly rare, carpets were manufactured between 1600 and 1880 (approximately), with Mihrab patterns and stylized tulips. Newer carpets often comes with a number of different patterns and of varying quality.
Lahore carpets, handknotted carpets from the city with the same name in Pakistan.
Laver-Kerman carpets, handknotted carpets from south-eastern Iran. See also Kerman-Ravar carpets.
Leiha carpets, handknotted carpets from the city Leiha in Pakistan, near the border to India.
Lesghi carpets, a different name for Lezgi carpets.
Lesghian carpets, a different name for Lezgi carpets.
Lezgi carpets, Lesghi, Lesghian carpets , handknotted carpets from north-western Daghestan in Caucasia. The most common pattern is a twelve-pointed star, a so called Lesghi star . Carpets manufactured after 1925 have great similarity with Daghestan carpets.
Lilihan carpets, Lilian carpets , handknotted carpets from the village of Lillihan in the district of Arak in western Iran. The carpets often comes with a red central field with flower creepers around a medallion with a stylized cross. Using one weft thread and a Turkish knot this is technically a Hamadan carpet.
Loom, a stand for weaving by hand. A loom can be very simple without parts on the side; in that kind the warp is stretched from the back to an attach-point in the front. The easiest and probably the oldest loom is the horizontal ground weave for fabrics.
Lorestan carpets, Luristan, Loristan carpets, handknotted carpets made by the Lurs south-west of Isfahan in Iran. The carpets have a warp made of yarn from wool and goat hair, and sometimes cotton. The patterns are geometrical, mainly in dark blue and red colours and the long sides (Shirazi) are often two-coloured.
Lori carpets, also called Lorestan / Luristan carpets , are knotted by nomad tribes in the western parts of Persia. The carpets are often known to be of good quality in proportion to its price.
Lotto carpets, handknotted Anatolian carpets from the 16th century and ahead. The carpets are named after Lorenzo Lotto, that depicted them. The carpets belong to the group of Usak carpets and have geometrical patterns in yellow on a red bottom.
Luristan carpets, a different name for Lorestan carpets.