Cream Mamluk Afghan Rug
This cream Mamluk Afghan rug is double hand knotted in Afghanistan from lamb’s wool, with vegetable dyes, and measures 363 x 273 cm. Its ground is a pale blue, with cream panels and a large central medallion picked out in rust red and navy. The cream is strongest in the medallion and in the four square panels around it.
The design up close
The centre of this cream Mamluk Afghan rug is a large octagonal medallion in cream and blue, with a star at its heart and a ring of toothed edges in rust and navy. Arched cartouches above and below it each hold a rosette. Four cream square panels stand at the middle left, middle right, lower left and lower right, and each one carries a small star medallion.
Across the rest of this cream Mamluk Afghan rug, the field is pale blue, covered in small motifs in rust, navy and cream: stars, diamonds and dotted flower shapes set in rows. Small octagon rosettes fill the corners. The outer border is cream, with rows of star medallions in rust and cream edged by thin blue guard lines, so the cream frames the blue field neatly.
Mamluk geometry and Afghan weaving
The Mamluks ruled Egypt and Syria from 1250 to 1517, and the carpets woven in Cairo from the late 15th century, and into the 16th, are known for their kaleidoscopic designs. Their medallions are built from octagons, stars and small geometric shapes that fill the whole rug. Weavers in Afghanistan revive these designs today, and this cream Mamluk Afghan rug follows that geometry in a soft blue palette.
How this cream Mamluk Afghan rug is made
This rug is double hand knotted, so each tuft is tied by hand on the loom, row after row, and the pile is then sheared level. Turn it over and the pattern shows on the back, with the small irregularities that only hand tying leaves. Our records note vegetable dyes, and the lamb’s wool gives the pile a soft hand. A room-size rug like this can take a small team of weavers many months.
Sizing it for your room
At 363 x 273 cm, this cream Mamluk Afghan rug covers about 9.9 square metres. Its length suits a three-seat sofa of around 2.2 m. Centred under the sofa, the rug runs about 72 cm past each end, so the whole sofa sits on it. Around a 180 x 90 cm dining table for six, the rug extends about 91 cm beyond each end and each side, so chairs pulled back stay on the rug.
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 cream Mamluk Afghan 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 Mamluk Rugs, or ask about a custom made rug in your own size and colour. Read more about Mamluk carpets.
