Blue Sarasar Gabbeh Rug
This blue Sarasar Gabbeh rug is double hand knotted in Afghanistan from lamb wool and measures 300 x 242 cm, or about 7.3 square metres. Navy blue runs through the outer border and the lower part of the centre panel, while a sage green ground frames the panel. Warm reds, rust and tan fill the stripes in between, and small animal and tree motifs run through the whole design.
The design up close
Across this blue Sarasar Gabbeh rug, the sage green ground surrounds the central panel. Inside the panel, horizontal bands follow one another from the top: a red band with small white motifs, a rust and orange band with rows of tiny animal figures, a band of small blue and rust diamonds, and a tan band with small squares. Lower down, a deep navy field holds rows of small trees and flowers, and a tan band closes the panel.
The outer border is laid out differently. Down each side, bands of sage, navy, rust, orange and tan run one above another, each with small squares, diamonds and tiny plant shapes. Along the top and bottom, rows of small animal figures sit in squares of rust, cream and tan on navy, and a fine fringe finishes each end. The Sarasar design in this piece carries fine animal and tribal details.
From across a room the bands read as strong blocks of colour, navy and rust most of all.
Where Gabbeh rugs come from
Gabbeh rugs come from a nomadic weaving tradition: a thick, soft pile, open fields of colour and simple motifs. The Gabbeh is a rug of the tribes of the Zagros mountains in Iran, including the Lori and Qashqai, who wove thick, simple rugs mainly for their own households. Weavers in Afghanistan now make Gabbeh rugs in the same spirit, and this blue Sarasar Gabbeh rug is hand knotted there.
How this blue Sarasar Gabbeh rug is made
Each knot is tied by hand on a loom, one at a time, and a room-size rug can take a small team of weavers many months. This rug is double hand knotted, and its lamb wool comes from a young sheep’s first shearing, which gives the pile a soft hand underfoot. The pile is then sheared level.
Sizing it for your room
At 300 x 242 cm, this blue Sarasar Gabbeh rug covers about 7.3 square metres. A three-seat sofa of around 2.2 m leaves about 40 cm of rug showing past each end, so the whole sofa sits on the rug. Under a dining table of about 180 x 90 cm, the rug gives roughly 60 cm at each end and 76 cm along each side. Pale walls and timber floors let the navy and rust bands stand out.
Looking after your rug
Vacuum it on a suction-only setting, or with the beater bar switched off, so the brush does not pull at the knots. Turn it around every six to twelve months so sun and foot traffic wear it evenly. Blot spills with a clean white cloth and cold water rather than rubbing them in. When it needs a full clean, choose a cleaner who washes handmade rugs by hand.
Put a good underlay beneath it. It stops the rug sliding on timber or tiles, adds cushioning and takes some of the wear off the pile. Moths like wool in dark, quiet spots, such as the part of a rug under a sofa, so vacuum those areas often and lift the furniture now and then.
See it before you buy
Visit our showroom at 307 Penshurst St, North Willoughby, open every day from 11 am to 4:30 pm, to see this blue Sarasar Gabbeh rug in person. If you would rather judge it in your own room, with your own light and furniture, book an in-home viewing and we will bring a selection to you.
Browse more Gabbeh Rugs, or ask about a custom made rug in your own size and colour. Read more about Gabbeh rugs.
