Balouchi Prayer Rug 3' x 5'

The Balouchis live on the border district between Iran and Afghanistan. Balouchi is a generic term of nomads consisting of smaller tribes with varied origin. Their livelihood consists of agriculture, raising sheep, goats and camels together with carpet manufacturing.

The Balouch carpets have a close relationship with carpets from Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. The colors are often dull and dark red, dark blue, black and brown. The patterns are geometrical with curvilinear life trees. They are often designed as prayer carpets with a prayer niche.

Sometimes, the carpets have decorative kelims on the short sides to protect the carpet against wear. The long sides often consist of many cables, made with goat and horse hair. The warp is made of wool or a mixture of wool and goat hair and newer carpets have a warp made of cotton.

The workmanship is of high quality; these carpets are tight and thin and give a real feeling of genuine nomadic handicraft. The carpets are mostly made in small sizes with lively patterns and prayer carpets are common.