Woven for centuries Gabbeh are tribal rugs woven in the south central Zagros mountain range and their plains. In Farsi (the language of Persia), the word Gabbeh means something raw or natural, uncut or "in the rough". Gabbeh are the world's best-known coarsely woven Iranian tribal rugs. Traditionally, the knotting and weaving of nomadic carpets are a woman's domain and area of expertise. True nomadic rugs such as the Gabbeh are almost exclusively knotted for personal use, and often the woman's spirit and natural artisanship are quite apparent in these personal interpretations of their life in art. Another characteristic of Gabbeh rugs is a very thick pile, woven in a relatively low knot density. Designs are typically geometric and symbolic in shape and style. Gabbeh weavers may be telling a story, depicting a landscape or scene, or even conveying an emotion. Most commonly Gabbeh will be asymmetric and woven to tell a story, with figures and symbols depicting parts of the weaver's "tale". It is this subjective and random process that renders a genuine Gabbeh a completely unique work of art, distinct from other Persian rugs and from many other types of weaving or knotting in general.

Our Persian Gabbeh generally fall into one of the following categories:

1) Basic Gabbeh feature a fairly coarse weave, with few knots per inch and a thick, plush wool pile. They usually have very little in the way of design elements, with large open fields, simple geometric shapes, bold, bright colors, and tribal drawings of people and animals.

2) Amalehbaft Gabbeh feature a medium weave in terms of coarseness and knots-per-inch. In general, they probably have even less in the way of design than the basic Gabbeh. Because of their tighter weave, shorter pile and simple patterns, these beautiful rugs are a great way to add color to a room without the distraction of too many design elements.

3) Kashkoli Gabbeh feature a fine weave and fairly short, soft pile. Like the Amalehbaft and the basic Gabbeh, the Kashkoli have very sparse, simple, colorful geometric designs. The tightness of the weave and the quality of the wool give these wonderful rugs a sheen that you must see in person to believe.

4) Luribaft Gabbeh also feature a fine weave and fairly short, soft pile. Unlike the other Gabbeh, Luribaft typically have more sophisticated, detailed design elements inspired by other classic Persian rugs. Like the Kashkoli, the tight weave and high-quality wool give these rich, beautiful rugs a unique trademark sheen.

5) Gabbeh Sumak are not pile rugs, but rather flat woven. With the tribal, colorful designs woven directly into the foundation, Gabbeh Sumak rugs are both amazingly detailed and quite inexpensive.