Red Super Kazak Rug
This red Super Kazak rug was hand knotted in Afghanistan in lamb’s wool and measures 250 x 148 cm, about 3.7 square metres. A large navy medallion sits at the centre of the deep red field, with cream medallions above and below it, inside a cream border.
The design up close
The red field is even and bright. Down the centre, a large diamond medallion in navy has a cream centre and an outline of small blue and orange flowers. Above and below it sit two cream octagonal medallions, each with a blue and orange heart, and navy fronds reach out from their points.
Smaller motifs fill the space between the medallions in this red Super Kazak rug. Blue and cream pendant shapes sit left and right of each medallion, with green rosettes and orange star-like flowers between them. Small crosses and diamonds in navy, orange and cream scatter across the open red ground, so the field reads as three large centres surrounded by small detail.
The border is cream and ivory, with a band of small red, orange and navy motifs in rows. Thin guard stripes of blue, red and orange separate the border from the field. In this red Super Kazak rug the cream border is the lightest part of the piece, so it frames the red field clearly.
Where Kazak rugs come from
Kazak rugs revive the bold, geometric designs first woven in the Caucasus. The name points to the Kazak (Gazakh) district in the southern Caucasus, on the borders of today’s Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, where weavers made thick rugs with large medallions, stars and hooked motifs in deep reds, blues and ivory. Weavers in Afghanistan and Pakistan have taken up these designs in recent decades.
How it is made
Each knot in this red Super Kazak rug was tied by hand on a loom, and the medallions were built up row by row.
The design is worked on a single ground, so the knots in the medallions follow the same rows as the red field. Up close, the curves of the navy outlines show small steps, the way knotted patterns always do.
Sizing a red Super Kazak rug for your room
At 250 x 148 cm the rug is just under 2.6 m long, so place it in front of a sofa of about 2.2 m, with the front legs of the sofa and two armchairs resting on it around a coffee table. The 148 cm width sits within the 153 cm of a queen bed, so it can also lie at the foot of a queen bed without going past its sides.
This red Super Kazak rug has an area of about 3.7 square metres. The red suits a room with neutral walls or warm timber, and the cream and navy in the border sit well with blue and grey furnishings.
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 Super Kazak 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 Kazak Rugs, or ask about a custom made rug in your own size and colour. Read more about Caucasian and Kazak rugs.
