Qashqāʾī Rug

Qashqāʾī rug, Qashqāʾī also spelled Kashgai, floor covering handwoven by the Qashqāʾī people, who have the reputation of making the best rugs from the Shīrāz district of Iran. They are the brightest in colouring, with rich blues and reds and some use of golden yellow. Usually their designs are geometric, perhaps with a row of three diamond medallions against a background replete with tiny forms of all kinds, including stylized animals and birds.

The designs are often based on Persian urban sources. They are asymmetrically knotted on an all-wool foundation. Mecca-Shīrāz is a dealers’ term for such rugs, with little apparent reason.