Bakhtiar is the name given to two types of rug: firstly to those made by nomads in the Zagros Mountains west of Isfahan in central Iran, and secondly and more importantly to the rugs made by settled villagers in the area. Few nomadic Bakhtiar rugs come on the market: commonest are perhaps the bags, which combine pile and Kilim work. The village rugs are commoner: they are made in several dozen mountain villages whose inhabitants are of Turkish or Persian or Armenian origin. They are sold mostly in the Isfahan bazaar. The main villages are (in the Chamar Mahal district) Ben, Ghaveh, Rokh, Baba Heydar, Harun, Samun, Sefid, Dasht, Chaleshotor and Shalamzar.
Most Bakhtiar rugs are made in large sizes on vertical or horizontal looms; 2 x 3 m is the commonest size, though much larger sizes are found. The most common designs are medallions and the so-called 'garden' design, where the field is divided into square compartments each with a different floral design. This design has ancient antecedent s. The Designs fare often rather rustic, as large blocks of colour with heavy outlines are used. Most of the colours fare from locally produced vegetable dyes, resulting in a very harmonious effect.
The Baluch tribes wander over huge area of eastern Iran, and form a large part of the population of Pakistan and Afghanistan. But although Baluchistan itself is partly in Pakistan and partly in the South Eastern Iranian province of Sistan, Baluchi rugs are not produced in Baluchistan, but in the northeast province of Khorassan. Here there are about a dozen carpet-weaving tribes. The rugs are sold in Mashad, Turbat-e-Haidari, Naishapur Birjand and Zabul.
Like all nomadic rugs, Baluchi rugs are small in format. Nearly all are prayer-rug sized. Indeed, the prayer-rug design is very common: the arch always has a geometric shape, as if two rectangles were cut off at the corners at one end. designs are also influenced by the Kurdish and Turkmen tribes, whose territories adjoin the area. Occasionally designs of birds or people are introduced. The commonest colours are deep reds, dark blue and white. The rugs are generally 100% wool. The weave is usually very fine, and there is often an embroidered of brocaded Kilim at one end. Other weaving centres which come within the general category of Balouch are Ghasemabad, Kalat, Madan and Torbat.
Bijar is a town of a round thirty thousand inhabitants in the North Western province of Kurdestan. It lies in a fertile valley surrounded by arid mountains. There are no monuments of note: the town is primarily a market center for surrounding villages. Its recent history has been dramatic: it was occupied by Russians then Turks in World War I- and this was followed by a serious famine which drastically reduced the population.
These events were reflected in the town's rug production. Before World War I, the carpets were coarsely, though firmly, knotted with woollen warps and wefts. Subsequently they become finer, with a cotton foundation. A peculiar weaving technique involving driving in an additional thick weft makes Bijar carpets extremely solid and hardwearing. The Designs are somewhat standardized: a Herati (Mahi) design with medallions, one inside the next, of red, blue and white. Sometimes an all-over Mahi design is seen. More originality was seen in old Bijar rugs, in those produced in the village of Shahndej and in the so-called 'Halvai' Bijar rugs. Other weaving centres which come within the general category of Bijar are Bidgeneh and Garus.
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