Mahal Rugs, Persian Northwest Mahal Rugs

Mahal rugs are made in the area of the city Mahallat in central Iran and south of Tehran. Mahallat produces and exports flowers and holds an annual festival of flowers in September.

Mahal rugs feature a central medallion design, while others have an allover pattern with designs such as mina khani with a stylized round flower, Herati with a rosette within a diamond with curled leaves on its four sides, and the hashing (or crab design) with a stylized blossom. Dark blue or deep red fields with warm, soft beige, dark brown, and ivory intricate floral patterns are common in Mahal rugs. The patterns also may subtly seem to blend into the field so that they are difficult to discern at a distance, but on closer contact, reveal their elaborate, inventive complexity.