Red Natural Dye Gabbeh Rug
This red natural dye Gabbeh rug is double hand knotted in Afghanistan from lamb wool and measures 304 x 240 cm, or about 7.3 square metres. Red fills the outer border, while the centre is a panel of narrow stripes in turquoise, teal, rust, tan and maroon. Our records note natural dyes for this piece, and the stripes carry a soft, varied shade from band to band.
The design up close
Across this red natural dye Gabbeh rug, a cream frame surrounds the centre panel, with a row of small motifs running along its top. The panel is built from many horizontal stripes. Turquoise and teal bands alternate with rust, tan and maroon ones, and several carry small diamonds, crosses and tiny tree shapes. Near the lower half, a dark maroon stripe holds a row of small animal figures.
The side borders are made of vertical bands in turquoise, orange-brown, cream, teal and maroon, with small squares, diamonds and tiny figures set into them. Along the top and bottom, rows of small squares in blue, cream and orange sit on red, and a fine fringe finishes each end.
Narrow stripes with many colours close together make the centre read as texture from a distance and as clear motifs up close.
Where Gabbeh rugs come from
Gabbeh rugs come from a nomadic weaving tradition: a thick, soft pile, open fields of colour and simple motifs, sometimes small figures or animals. 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. The name is often translated as raw or natural. Weavers in Afghanistan now make Gabbeh rugs in the same spirit, and this red natural dye Gabbeh rug is made there.
How this red natural dye Gabbeh rug is made
Each knot is tied by hand on a loom, one at a time, and a room-size rug like this can take a small team of weavers many months. This rug is double hand knotted, and its lamb’s wool comes from a young sheep’s first shearing, which gives the pile a soft hand. The pile is then sheared level.
Sizing it for your room
At 304 x 240 cm, this red natural dye Gabbeh rug covers about 7.3 square metres. A three-seat sofa of around 2.2 m leaves about 42 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 62 cm at each end and 75 cm along each side. Warm timber floors and cream walls suit the red border, and a plain cream sofa keeps the stripes from competing.
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 red natural dye 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.
