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Guide to Qum Rugs and Carpets

Ghom is young as far as weaving centers go. Large scale commercial weaving only dates back to 1930s. As a weaving center it is not as technically sophisticated at Nain or Isfahan. Qum carpets can be beutiful but lack the sophistication of Kashan. The biggest difference at the top end of the Persian market is that Ghom lacks the large market for the best designers so the top layer is realitively thin. With the exception of a handful such as Rashtehzadeh Khom borders will not be as well articulated, cartoons will be used for several different size rugs so that there are imperfections in scale. I do not want to seem harsh, most Ghom rugs are not nearly at the level of a Serafian Isfahan or Habibian Nain, but then again neither are most Isfahan or Nain rugs.

A silk and metal-thread Ghom, lot 16

Rashti Zadeh Koum Rug Rastehzadeh of Qum

Large Persian city 90 miles south of Isphahan. Qum has become a major rug producing area in the second half of the 20th century. Major production center for silk rugs. The Zil-i-Sultani pattern is very common as are designs derivative of Bahktiarri garden carpets and Isphahan carpets.
Inportant designers included Rastehzadeh, Arsalani, and Ahmad Archang

Sotheby's Ghom silk rug, C.1950

Detail of Back - Antiques Row Quality silk Ghom rug

Persian Knot, Depressed Warps

Structure: Asymmetrical knot open to the left. Knot conts can range from 120 to 900 or 1000

Color: While Ghom rugs use a wide range of colors they tend to be brighter and more colorful than Isfahan or Nains and not quite as rich as a Kashan.

Tariq Mirza of Mannam Carpets on Qum Rugs

In the late 50's and early 60's we were regularly buying in Qum, wool rugs with silk outlines, wool rugs with silk motifs, silk ground rugs with wool motifs and all silk rugs. So the use of silk in a big way seems to have started well before 1961. At that time I very rarely saw a Qum with 20x20 kpi.
Today 26x26 is pretty common and many higher knot count pieces coming into Pakistan seem to be the handiwork of half baked weavers/designers. 900 kpsi used to be (occasionally) Uncle Habibian's and, of course, Aghai Serafian's preserve, even his son Sadiq rarely attempted it. New Persian Carpets - Qum, Kum, Gum - 04/24/2000