Showcase of NAIN Persian
Rugs
with
Information and History
Dear Visitor,
I have added these pages to my website to show you
some of the common designs in Nain Persian rugs.
Even though my specialty is in new Tabriz rugs, I also offer some
other types of Persian rugs and one of them being the high end Nain
rugs that you see below.
Nain rugs are actually a fairly new additions to the Persian rug
trade as they evolved around 1945. Prior to that time there were
some rug weaving going on, but for all purposes the Nain rugs did
not come about until after the second world war. Nain is a county
located in the center of Iran next to the large city of Isfahan. There
are several small towns that make up the county including Nain, but
it is a very small town and very close to the much bigger city of
Isfahan (~100 miles), and as a result most weavers are actually located in
Isfahan. Isfahan is the main business and social center for
that entire area, so over the years most of the Nain rug weavers
moved closer to Isfahan. Since Isfahan is also a very important rug weaving
city, the Nain rugs are very heavily influenced by the design and
style of the Isfahan rugs. They often share similar colors and
designs, but are very different in qualities. The Isfahan rugs tend
to have lots of reds and blues, whereas the Nain rugs are typically
centered around the beige theme. Another big difference is
that the high end Isfahan rugs almost always have a silk foundation
and pictorial rugs are also common, whereas Nain rugs rarely ever
use a silk foundation even in their super high end qualities and
pictorial Nain rugs are virtually unheard off.
Since I only deal in high quality Persian rugs, my selection of Nain
rugs is also geared towards the high end pieces. Most Nain rugs are
known for their lower quality more inexpensive rugs, but the ones I
offer are all high end pieces that typically feature 500kpsi or
more. Unlike Tabriz rugs, the quality of Nain rugs is not
measured in Raj (knot count in 7 cm), but in Lah, which is the
number of yarn that make up one fringe. For example, lower
quality Nain rugs have a very thick pile and they typically can have
up to 15 yarn. If you look around Ebay, you will find a whole lot of
them and they typically have about 80-120 kpsi. This quality
could be 15-Lah, but is commonly referred to as "Tapas". Once
you go a bit higher in quality, you get Nain rugs that are 9-Lah,
which are still a bit coarse, but already much finer and more
luxurious. These 9-Lah have around 200-250 kpsi and are the in
between between the lower quality and the high end pieces. The
next quality is the one that I offer, which is 6-Lah, also called "Sheshlah",
and these Nain rugs are definitely high end with 500 kpsi and more.
The finest Nain rugs are 4-Lah and even 3-Lah, but they are so
extremely rare and expensive, that they are more of a collector's
rug than something that you would find in stores or homes.
Below you will see a few samples of Nain 6-Lah rugs and then I added
a few more lines about some useful information that you might need
if you are looking at buying a high quality piece.
Nain rugs tend to focus around
several colors, mainly shades of beige, blues, reds, and sometimes
green. One of my personal grudges with them is that they don't
have the kind of variety in colors and designs that you find in
Tabriz rugs and it is truly a shame, since the quality of the 6-Lah
pieces is finer than high end 50 Raj Tabriz rugs. Because they tend
to be very similar, the prices are lower due to competition and as a
result you can find 6-Lah Nain rugs that are much finer than 50 Raj
Tabriz rugs, and yet they are actually cheaper.
Since I'm writing about Nain rugs, I have to include
a part about the best known weaver that even after his death is
causing all kind of controversy. The weaver that I'm referring
is Mr. Habibian and he is also respectfully called the "Father of
Nain rugs". There are lots of stories and most are probably
tales, but here is what we know for sure. Mr. Fatollah
Habibian was born around 1900 and left Nain as a teenager to became
an apprentice at a rug shop at an early age and we talking around
early 1920 or so. Due to skill and natural gift he mastered the art
of making very fine rugs and then returned to Nain where he and his
brother started making these incredible high end Nain rugs, often
out of pure silk. His level of workmanship and his pioneering
vision practically created the high end Nain rugs that we know today
so calling him the father of the Nain rugs is definitely justified.
He continued to make rugs and teach others well into the late 80's
and then passed the business on to his grandson, who is still
continuing the business, but at a much smaller pace.
Unfortunately, Mr. Habibian passed away in the early 90's, but his
legacy lives on in the Nain rugs and that in itself has
unfortunately become a sad chapter in the Habibian family.
If you shop around for Nain rugs, you will notice that there are a
lot of new Nain rugs being offered with the Habibian signature and
they are being sold as genuine Habibian rugs. In fact if you look
around my website, you will probably notice them as well. The
problem is that these are not genuine Habibian Nain rugs, but
rather Nain rugs made by other weavers and made to look like the
real thing. Years ago, retailers and wholesalers realized that they
can capitalize on the Habibian name and paid weavers to add the
Habibian signature to the rugs, knowing full well that these were
not the real thing. Then they would offer these Habibian rugs
to their customers and brag about their personal connections to the
family and how valuable they are and so on. This has unfortunately
become such a common practice, that almost every weaver of high end
6-Lah and finer Nain rugs will now automatically add the Habibian
signature to the carpet. As you can imagine, the Habibian family
is not that crazy about all this, but there is not a whole anybody
can do. In fact, it is so common that finding a high end Nain
Persian carpet without the signature is a challenge in itself.
Below I have an example of a typical high end 6-Lah Nain rug to show
you the signature and workmanship of these fine rugs.
As you can see in the close-ups, these high end 6-Lah Nain rugs are
very fine pieces and the workmanship and quality is outstanding.
And just like all of the other high end Nain rugs, this one also
features the Habibian signature, even though it is not a genuine
Habibian Nain rug. I always make it a point in the description
of my Nain rugs that these signatures do not add to the value of the
rugs and the buyer need to be aware of the actual facts.
Unfortunately, I have seen too many of them being sold as genuine
and it is a very sad legacy of one of Iran's greatest rug weavers.
Video #4
Subject: Nain Persian rugs
Description:
9 minute video about Nain Persian rugs. Along
with sharing some very classical examples of this
popular Persian rug type, I will also share with you a
few rare pieces and then also give you some advice about
Habibian Nain Persian rugs and what you need to know
about them.
I hope that you have enjoyed this article about
the Nain rugs and
feel free to look at my other featured rug designs and my website.
As always, I enjoy hearing my visitor's thoughts and experiences, so drop me
a line or two if you like.
Take care,
Mike Panah
Owner, MP Persian Rug Imports
Other Featured Persian Rug Types
& Popular Designs
