Learn About | Persian Isfahan Seirafian Rugs

The Seirafian Isfahan moniker is synonymous with luxury, exclusivity and quality. Among the great city carpets produced in Iran are a sub-group of rugs recognized for their outstanding construction, quality and design. These are the carpets produced by master weavers who are capable of taking the beauty and construction of carpets to new heights. For three generations and nearly one hundred years, master weavers in the Seirafian family have produced Seirafian Isfahan rugs that exceed the quality and standards of the rest of Isfahan and other carpet-producing cities.

In Isfahan and internationally, the Seirafian name is recognized as the best of the best, and they have retained this designation for generations. The family’s reputation in the carpet industry goes back to 1939 when the respected banker, investor and carpet collector Haj Agha Reza Seirafian (1881-1975) entered the rug business. Seirafian’s seven sons and 24 grandsons followed in his footsteps and continue to produce fine carpets today. The late Agha Reza Seirafian began his career in the carpet industry after acquiring two unfinished rugs from a master weaver who owed him money. After completing the rugs, Agha Reza Seirafian embarked on a quest to improve the standards of the time. Agha Reza Seirafian was an innovator who tripled the knot count from an average of 270 knots per square inch to 500 or more. By using the best materials, designers and weavers, the Seirafian rug conformed to a new standard of quality and elegance.

The Seirafian workshops emerged during the height of the weaving revival in Isfahan, but everyone wasn’t happy about the improved quality. Competitors sued the Seirafian rug makers alleging unfair competition for paying their workshop employees more. Fortunately, the courts allowed Seirafian to continue producing high-quality persian rugs and paying his workers accordingly. The Persian Seirafian rug is often woven with a silk foundation and a Kurk wool pile that allows weavers to achieve the high knot count that Seirafian Esfahan rugs are known for. Premium Kurk wool sheared from the chest and shoulders of lambs is one hallmark of a fine Persian Seirafian rug.

Since the early days of carpet production in Isfahan, weavers have added detailed accents with silk and metallic fibers. The versatile weavers of Seirafian Esfahan rugs produce a variety of styles, including medallions, pictorial scenes, prayer carpets and curvilinear arabesques with spiraling vine scrolls. The legacy of the Persian Seirafian rug endures as master weavers in the family continue to create timeless heirloom persian rugs today.