The rugs and carpets of the nomadic Bakhtiari people of the Zagros mountain region represent one of the most impressive tribal weaving traditions to emerge from Iran.

  Bakhtiari weavings are prized for their archaic design repertory and bold graphic drawing, but some Bakhtiari carpets, like this example, also display the ability to render the sophisticated patterns of city rug weaving, although with a tribal sensibility.

Here, the weaver has adapted a classic Kerman compartment design of the Safavid period or seventeenth century, comprised of alternating quatrefoils and diamonds. The interior of these compartments and the intervening spaces are filled with four-petalled flowers and garlands surrounding rosettes. The beauty of the design depends not only on the delicacy of the design but also the rich range of contrasting reds, black, gold, and soft mauves and blues. A finely drawn vinescroll border nicely complements the graphic contrasts of the field.