A – O
- American Sarouk
- Arabesque
- Eslimi
Question: American Sarouk
Answer:
A motif of sprigs bearing flowers and leaves gathered into a bouquet. Devised in the 1920s to suit American taste of the day, it became hugely popular.
Question: Arabesque
Answer:
Broadly, stylised ornament in the Arabian or Saracenic manner; in Persian carpets it means a plant motif whose curling vine splits in two at the tip.
Question: Eslimi
Answer:
A spiralling, curving vine. Its tip usually ends in the arabesque described above or in an acanthus leaf.
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KA – KO
- Karakusa (scrolling vine)
- Ghabi
- Ghandil
- Cloud band
- Goldani
- Gol-e Farangi
Question: Karakusa (scrolling vine)
Answer:
In Japan this refers to the honeysuckle motif and to continuous scrolling vines, vines with flowers or grapes and the like, which came from the Western Regions via China and the Korean peninsula in the Asuka and Nara periods.
Question: Ghabi
Answer:
A framework of oval, rectangular or similar outlines; besides animal and plant motifs, a frame may contain a verse of the Koran or a line of poetry.
Question: Ghandil
Answer:
The lamp hung from the ceiling of a mosque prayer hall. The shade is often of metal with intricate openwork.
Question: Cloud band
Answer:
A motif likened to clouds, resembling the shoulder scarves seen on Japanese flying apsaras. Like the scarf it is thought to originate in China, but the ribbon fluttering in the wind also appeared in Sasanian ornament.
Question: Goldani
Answer:
The goldan, or vase, motif. It may be the main motif of the field, a secondary motif, or used as a repeating pattern.
Question: Gol-e Farangi
Answer:
Meaning "European flower"; a bouquet motif used in Persian carpets from the late 19th century under the influence of Western textile and wallpaper design.
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SA – SO
- Zir Khaki
- Shah Abbas
Question: Zir Khaki
Answer:
Literally "beneath the earth"; a motif depicting the ancient earthenware, pottery and rhytons excavated from ruins and mounds across Persia.
Question: Shah Abbas
Answer:
The name of the fifth Safavid ruler, but Persians call the palmette flower motif "Shah Abbas". In fact there is no connection between the motif and the Shah.
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TA – TO
Under Construction.
NA – NO
Under Construction.
HA – HO
- Hasht Gol
- Running dog
- Panel design
- Palmette
- Bandi
- Paisley
- Kheshti
- Herati
- Boteh
Question: Hasht Gol
Answer:
Meaning "eight flowers"; a floral pattern in which small botehs are drawn as eight petals.
Question: Running dog
Answer:
The popular name for a hook-shaped geometric motif. It does not actually depict a running dog.
Question: Panel design
Answer:
A design that divides the field into rectangles with straight horizontal and vertical lines. Kheshti is one example, and the carpets of the Yalameh and Baluch peoples also have fields divided into a grid.
Question: Palmette
Answer:
A motif like a stylised cross-section of a flower. It is said to have begun with the Egyptian lotus motif and been perfected in the Saracenic world by way of Greece, Rome and Byzantium. It is thought to share its origin with the Japanese honeysuckle motif.
Question: Bandi
Answer:
A design in which continuous lines form many compartments, like the Japanese tatewaku, net or keyaki patterns, each filled with realistic plants and animals or abstract geometric motifs.
Question: Paisley
Answer:
A teardrop motif like the tip of a cypress bent to one side. It is said to be inspired by a plant form, but its origin is unknown; some say it represents the flame of Zoroastrianism.
Question: Kheshti
Answer:
Khesht is a sun-dried brick of mud and straw. A design in which the field is divided into a grid as if of stacked bricks, each containing trees, flowers or paisley, is called kheshti.
Question: Herati
Answer:
A repeating pattern with a flower at each of the four points of a lozenge frame surrounding a rosette, and serrated leaves along the four sides of the lozenge. The name comes from the town of Herat.
Question: Boteh
Answer:
The same as paisley. A small boteh used as a repeating pattern is called boteh mir.
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MA – MO
- Mahi
- Mina Khani
- Mihrab
- Medallion
Question: Mahi
Answer:
Meaning "fish", but this is not a fish motif: it is what Persians call the Herati, because the leaf motifs around the lozenge resemble fish. A fine Herati is called riz mahi (small fish).
Question: Mina Khani
Answer:
Rosette flowers arranged in a regular order, the spaces between them filled with smaller motifs and all joined by diagonal lines.
Question: Mihrab
Answer:
The arched niche in a mosque prayer hall that indicates the direction of Mecca. Designs based on this niche are used not only in prayer rugs but in ordinary carpets as well.
Question: Medallion
Answer:
A large motif with a circular, oval or lozenge outline, broadly divided into simple rectilinear medallions and curvilinear, richly ornamented ones. The former appear several at a time in tribal carpets; the latter appear singly at the centre of the field in city carpets woven from a cartoon.
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YA – YO
Under Construction.
RA – WO
- Rosette
Question: Rosette
Answer:
A motif resembling a flower in full bloom seen from directly above. It is said to depict the lotus seen head-on and to symbolise the sun, but its origin is uncertain.
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WA – N
Under Construction.