2.7 x 5 Vintage Persian Mahajaran Sarouk Rug, Central Persia, Circa 1925

Mahajaran Sarouk rugs were woven in central Persia’s Sultanabad province in the first quarter of the 20th century. Aesthetically, the bridge the gap between the Fereghan Sarouk rugs woven in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade or so of the 20th century, which typically featured more rectilinear articulation of the motifs, a somewhat finer weave and more closely cropped pile, and the later “commercial” Sarouk produced from about 1925 to 1940.

Mahajaran Sarouk rugs typically feature fantastic quality wool and deeply saturated dyes. Early examples, circa 1910 – 1915, tend to feature very spacious designs with heavily stylized flowers with more rectilinear drawing. The Mahajaran Sarouks that seem to be a bit later, circa 1920 – 1925, seemed to develop a more curvilinear aesthetic, though the quality of the wool and dyes remained high.

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