Glossary Nap The direction which the pile of the rug faces. Nasser-e Din Shah The Iranian king (1848-1896) of Qajar Dynasty who stopped the use of aniline dyes, which were not colorfast. The Qajar Dynasty was established by Agha Mohammad Khan in 1794 and ended with Ahmad Shah, the last ruler of Qajar Dynasty, in 1925. Natural Dyes Until the late nineteenth century only natural dyes were used for coloring weaving yarns. Natural dyes include plant dyes, animal dyes, and mineral dyes. Neoclassical A revival of ancient Greek and Roman styles in art and architecture in the 18thand 19th centuries, which was characterized by order, symmetry and simplicity. Nepal Nepal is located in South Asia. The capital of Nepal is Kathmandu. Important weaving centers in Nepal include Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Patan. Today, Nepal is among the major rug exporters to Europe. Nomadic Rugs Rugs woven by sheepherders who mostly live in tents and migrate from the valleys to the mountain pastures in the summer. These rugs are generally small because the rugs must be finished in time for migration. Nomads Tribal people who are mainly sheepherders, live in tents, and migrate from the valleys to the mountain pastures in the summer. Return to Top Ocher Any of several earthy mineral oxides of iron occurring in yellow, brown, or red and used as pigments. One-sided A rug layout where the design is woven in one direction. Prayer and pictorial rugs fall into this category of layout. Oghuz A Sunni Muslim Turkoman tribe of Central Asia that later Turkoman tribes, the Seljuks, Ottomans have descended from. Return to Top Pakistan Pakistan is located in South Asia. The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad. As with India, the art of rug weaving in Pakistan began during the reign of Akbar Shah, in the sixteenth century. At the present time, Pakistan produces handmade rugs specifically for exportation. It is the fourth largest exporter of rugs in the world. Market sizing data from the exporting countries is difficult to obtain, as some of the countries may not track the data or disclose it. Nevertheless, from foreign embassies, industry specialists, and magazine articles, the 1998 rug export estimate for Pakistan is 250 million dollars. Pardeh (Persian) A rug size of approximately 5x8 ft or 5.5x9 ft. The Turkoman name is Enssi. Enssi is a rug used in place of a door or curtain in a Turkoman tent. Pardeh also means curtain in Persian. Pattern The way lines are used to form shapes on a rug. In the rug industry, pattern is divided into the three categories of Curvilinear, Geometric, and Pictorial. Pendants Small floral extensions at the top and bottom of the medallion (centerpiece) in a medallion layout. Persian, Asymmetrical, or Senneh Knot The Asymmetrical knot is used in Iran, India, Turkey, Egypt and China. To form this knot, a small piece of yarn is passed under and over one warp strand, and then passed under the neighboring warp strand and brought back to the surface. With this type of knot a finer weave can be created. Pictorial A pattern portraying people and animals. Pile The material (fiber) used for weaving rugs. The main pile materials are wool, silk and cotton. Pile Weave Pile weave or knotted weave refers to the method of weaving used in most rugs. In this technique the rug is woven by creation of knots. Prayer Rug One directional rectangular rugs of approximately 3.5x5.5 ft. Prayer rugs historically have been woven for Muslims to pray on. They still serve this purpose, and are also used as regular rugs. The usual design of a prayer rug is a mihrab (the prayer niche constructed in a mosque wall that indicates the direction of Mecca). Programmed Handmade Rugs Programmed or continuity rugs are handmade pile rugs of popular classic Persian or other traditional designs, which are woven in a variety of shapes, color combinations and sizes in workshops. This great innovation has allowed customers to buy handmade rugs in the design of their choice in their desired shape, color combination and size rather than what is available. From the construction point of view, programmed rugs are of the same quality as one-of-a-kind rugs, and they require the same amount of hard work and time to weave. These rugs were an innovation which was developed about twenty years ago (a very modern innovation relative to the long history of handmade rugs) in response to our modern lifestyle. Historically, in the East, handmade rugs were the only form of furniture. People sat on them, ate on them and slept on them, so there was no need to match a rug to any furniture, and in Europe, handmade rugs were luxury items mostly custom-made to fit the size of a certain room and match its furniture. However, today Western furniture is popular all over the world, and handmade rugs are no longer custom-made for an elite group. Today, most people, whether in the East or West, want to purchase a rug that will fit the size of a particular room and match their existing furniture. In order to respond to these modern needs, programmed rugs were invented. Because their design is not one-of-a-kind, they are generally more affordable, but again, as explained in Style, rugs of the same region often have similar designs, colors and construction. Therefore, even two one-of-a-kind rugs could be very similar. If one is looking for a collectible antique or semi-antique rug, then programmed rugs are not for them. However, if searching for a quality decorative rug at a relatively lower price that would perfectly match one's furniture and fit in particular room, then programmed rugs are a great option. Also, with programmed rugs, one can find matching sets in different sizes and shapes. Return to Top Qajar Dynasty A dynasty of Iranian kings beginning with Agha Mohammad Khan in 1794 and ending with Ahmad Shah in 1925. Return to Top