Quality Service Uniqueness Value
Tabriz Persian rug #1211, click on the picture or description for more details about the Persian rugs. Tabriz Persian rug #5124, click on the picture or description for more details about the Persian rugs. Nain 6 LAH Persian carpet #5125, click on the picture or description for more details about the Persian carpets. Qum Persian carpet #5119, click on the picture or description for more details about the Persian carpets.

Sample of Persian Rug Designs
Nain Rugs 

Information and samples courtesy of
MP Persian Rug Imports at www.mprugs.com

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 by 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, and as a result most weavers are actually located in 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.

Large room sized Nain Persian rug with a very unique design and very traditional Nain carpet colors. Nain rugs are made near and in the city of Isfahan and they come in various types of quality like most other Persian carpets. The Nain rugs that I feature are made of a very high quality and to have over 600 kpsi is not unusual. To begin with, all of my Nain oriental carpets are 6-lah quality and I always look for unique designs like this one. Large square Persian Nain rug with a very high 6-lah quality and about 625 kpsi. These type of high end Nain Persian carpets are very popular with my clients and are great examples of what high end oriental rugs should look and feel like. Most high end Nain Persian rugs feature very traditional designs and even though the majority of the Nain oriental carpets are of a much lower quality, it is these high quality Nain Persian rugs, that has given the name the respect it rightfully deserves. Large Nain Persian carpet with over 600 kpsi. Whether you buying inexpensive Persian carpets or a very high end Oriental rugs, my service will be the same and I always do my best to assist my clients in every way. This Persian Nain rug is a great example and the client who bought this carpet also bought other rugs from me. Every Naiin rug that I offer is made of the highest quality and like my other Tabriz rugs and Qom rugs, I only offer genuine handmade Persian carpets of the highest quality. Large Nain Persian rug with a rare design and very unusual carpet colors. Nain rugs are very similar in colors and design to Isfahan rugs due to their vicinity and they come in various types of quality like most other Persian carpets. The Nain rugs that I feature are made of a very high quality and to have over 600 kpsi is not unusual. To begin with, all of my Nain oriental carpets are 6-lah quality and I always look for unique designs like this one.
Large room sized Nain Persian rug with a very unique design and very traditional Nain carpet colors. Nain rugs are made near and in the city of Isfahan and they come in various types of quality like most other Persian carpets. The Nain rugs that I feature are made of a very high quality and to have over 600 kpsi is not unusual. To begin with, all of my Nain oriental carpets are 6-lah quality and I always look for unique designs like this one. Another very fine oriental carpet is this long Nain Persian rug with over 600 kpsi and a very unique design, which is very rare in runners. Nain oriental rugs are best known for their lower quality pieces, but all of the Nain carpets that I offer are made of a very high quality, which is also called 6-Lah. These type of Nain Persian rugs are also often signed and are very popular with my clients, who are looking for traditional oriental rugs and runners. Nain Persian rug with a design called a tree-of-life, which is very rare in high end 6-lah Naiin oriental carpets. As with all of my Nain rugs, this carpet has over 600 kpsi and is an extremely fine example of a true showpiece rug. The design is such that it is ideal for a formal area and some of my clients like to hang these picture carpets oon walls. Nain rugs tend to be very traditional in colors and design, so a Naiin carpet like this one is very different from the others. Square Nain Persian rug in a large size, which is also a bit rare for oriental carpets. All of my Nain carpets are extremely fine and most have well over 500 kpsi. The high quality of this type of Nain rug is called 6-Lah, which refers to the numbers of fibers that make up one fringe in the Persian carpet. Although these are very fine Persian carpets, they are designed to be showpieces and also very durable.

As you can see in the examples, 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.
 

Large square Persian Nain rug with a very high 6-lah quality and about 625 kpsi. These type of high end Nain Persian carpets are very popular with my clients and are great examples of what high end oriental rugs should look and feel like. Most high end Nain Persian rugs feature very traditional designs and even though the majority of the Nain oriental carpets are of a much lower quality, it is these high quality Nain Persian rugs, that has given the name the respect it rightfully deserves. This is an example of a fake Habibian signature on a 6-Lah Persian Naiin rug. You will find the Habibian signature on most high end Nain rugs and they are many variations of the signature. Please do not fall victim to a seller to be claiming that their Nain Habibian rug is a genuine. As you can see in the close-up of this high end Nain 6-Lah rug, the quality is outstanding and it is a very fine Persian rug. High end Persian rugs like this Nain rug are very fine and ellegant rugs and these 6-Lah rugs are great showpieces as well.


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.

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

 Tabriz Persian rug designs, Part 1 "Mahi - Fish Pattern"

Tabriz Persian rug designs, Part 2 "Gombad - Dome Shaped"

Tabriz Persian rug designs, Part 3 "Heriz- Geometric"

Other types of common Persian rug designs

Persian Nain rug designs

Persian Qom rug "Hunting Scene" designs

Round & Oval Persian rugs

Square Persian rugs

 

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