All About Bijar Rugs! by Penny Krieger

Owner of Paradise Oriental Rugs, Inc. 707-823-3355

Hello and welcome to my web site. I have many beautiful oriental rugs for sale such as Bijar rugs and other tribal rugs from Iran.

I have put some information together in this article for anyone interested in learning more about Bijar rugs. Discussed here are how they are woven and what the differences are between a Bijar rug (also sometimes spelled Bidjar) and any other Oriental rug. Hopefully you will find this article helpful in seeking to understand this subject. Here are a few of our Oriental Rug Testimonials from customers across the United States. 

What is a Bijar rug?

Bijar is a small city (often referred to as a town by many rug merchants) in NW Iran and is the capital of Bijar County, Kurdistan Province, Iran.

A Bijar rug is a hand woven Oriental rug, woven by Kurdish weavers in Bijar, Iran or woven in the surrounding villages using time honored weaving techniques that are particular to this area and tradition. Bijar rugs are renowned for their durability, brilliant use of color and abundance of designs.  Please view my article, How Oriental Rugs are Named.

Is a Bijar Rug a Persian Rug?

Yes. Any rug woven in Iran is a Persian rug. If a rug was woven in Turkey, India, Romania, Pakistan, China or any other weaving center, with a Bijar design, it is not a genuine Persian Bijar or simply a Bijar rug. A genuine Persian Bijar rug is only woven in the city of Bijar or the surrounding villages. The rug would be considered a Bijar design, if woven elsewhere. You might also find this type of design in a machine woven rug which is not an Oriental rug by any definition. Please learn more by viewing my definitions page: Oriental rug, Persian rug.

UPDATE: As of August 5, 2018, a new Persian rug embargo went into effect. This means there are only a limited number of Persian rugs available on the wholesale level, here in the US. Basically, what was just recently brought into the country in the last couple of months or what was already here.  We do not know how long this embargo will last so keep that in mind if you are considering purchasing a genuine Persian rug.

I still have many beauties available at my gallery! Take a look. Rug Gallery

What makes a Bijar rug different from other Persian rugs or handwoven Oriental rugs?

What sets Bijar rugs apart is their unique construction, the superior quality wool used, the variety and originality of designs and most importantly their amazing use of color! This often results in a rug with deeply saturated jewel tones as well as creative and captivating designs.  The very best pieces are woven art at it's finest. Here is a small Bijar rug that I sold a number of years ago that I believe demonstrates my point.

Bijar Rug Construction

Since time immemorial, Bijar weavers have used a weaving technique that I am not aware of being used anywhere else in Iran or any other of the rug weaving countries.

Bijar rugs are woven with a Turkish knot (sometimes called a Gordies knot) with one or two wefts inserted between each row of knots. After they have tied a row of knots, the weaver then inserts a weft. (Wefts are the threads of yarn that are inserted crosswise to secure the knots in place.)

The difference between the construction of Bijar rugs and other Oriental rugs is that before a weft is inserted it is dampened with water. The dampened weft now has a pliability that it would not normally have. After the weft has been inserted horizontally, a comb is used to beat it down vigorously next to the tied knots. This creates a dense, tightly woven fabric as when the weft dries, it shrinks somewhat resulting in a very firmly constructed foundation. Foundation in rug nomenclature is refering to the warps and wefts. In the small villages outside the town of Bijar, where the very best Bijar rugs are currently being made, many of the weavers are using cotton wefts but there are a few that do use wool. 

This is how all antique Bijars were woven and in current production, the very best quality Bijars. They are woven with hand spun Persian wool, dyed with vegetable dyes and the design inspirations are taken from antique rugs. Proudly, the Bijar rugs I have at my gallery are from this exclusive production and were woven in this manner, with the exact same construction as antique Bijar rugs.

Bijar rugs are often called the "Iron Rugs of Iran" for the simple reason they are tightly woven and yet have tremendous body, thickness and are extremely hard-wearing. A Bijar rug will often be heavier than another tribal rug of the same size and the very best ones have clear, detailed designs in beautiful colors.

What are the most well known names of Bijar rug designs?

The number of designs woven in Bijar rugs is almost unlimited as the Kurdish weavers have used so many varied designs historically that there are too many to name. Possibly influenced by weaving areas on every border some unusual designs have seeped into the Bijar weaver’s design vocabulary but there are some classics such as the Garrus design, which is probably the most famous.

Here is an example of a Garrus Persian Bijar from my personal collection.  I recently put together a video of a number of Bijar rugs that are currently available at my gallery. Video of Persian Bijars available for purchase!

This piece was woven recently, as in the last decade. My two German Shepherds have been running freely across it for the last number of years and it looks exactly like it did when I put it down on the floor. The rug is basically indestructible and I enjoy seeing it in my home every single day. Yes, I am in love with hand woven rugs!  

Other well know Bijar designs are the Tree of Life, the Cypress and Willow Design, the Shah Abbas design and the Medallion design (sometimes referred to as a Pendant Medallion). The Cypress Willow design is also referred to as the Bid Majnun design which in Farsi mean Willow tree. The reason this design is called Bid Majnun in Farsi is because the Willow tree resembled the hair of a crazy or unkempt person with long hair.

Here is a lovely Bijar I had for sale a few years back in the Pendant Medallion Design. Notice the calm open field of brick red, the golden yellow just inside the border, the clear forest green in the pendants and the lively use of color.

Here is a small Bijar rug that incorporates the Tree of Life and the Cypress and Willow design. This piece is the classic “Bid Majnun” design, a term mostly used by rug collectors and dealers. This small piece has been sold.

Here is another example of the Tree of Life design or Bid Majnun deisgn. This was a very large rug, 10 x 14 and quite beautiful in person. This piece was sold but I do have a few pieces available in various sizes in this design.

Here is an example of the Shah Abbas Design in a smaller size, 2’9” x 3’ 5”. This piece is available.

Here are a few Persian Bijars with different renditions of the Garrus design, all of which are at my gallery and available for sale. 

Look carefully and you will see a connection and essence that is the Garrus design in the rugs below. This piece is very close to a 5 x 8. Available.

Here is a video of the same rug

Here is another Bijar rug in the Garrus design. The size on this rug is 7’4" x 10’1”. This piece is available at my gallery and is stunning in person with deeply saturated jewel tones.

This lovely Bijar rug is close to a 3’ x 5’. Pendant medallion design. Available.

And another Bijar rug in the Garrus design. This piece is 3’6” x 4’6”.

"Bijar" Rugs Or "Bidjar" Rugs? What is the Correct Spelling?

Geographically, the correct spelling of Bijar is without the “d” if you consult a map of Iran or go to Wikipedia but the alternative spelling is often used by rug dealers. Either spelling is correct in current usage but I have a theory!

If you speak to someone from Iran that grew up speaking Farsi and learned English as a secondary language, when you hear them pronounce the name Bijar, there is a phonetic sound that does not really occur in English.

The sound is somewhere between the sound of "ch" or "D." Even those with the slightest accent pronounce the name differently than most native English speakers.

With that in mind, I believe the spelling changed over time, based on the pronunciation of the word by Persian rug merchants. On my site I have used both spellings so as not to miss anyone that is searching for a Bijar rug but in this article I am staying with the map and Wikipedia on the spelling.

Common Bijar Rug Sizes

Bijar rugs are woven in most all sizes from 2 x 4 up to 12 x 16 but more often than not, smaller sizes under 6 x 9 are the most readily available.

How Do We Safely Ship Your Purchased Bijar Rugs For Sale?

Here at Paradise Oriental Rugs you can be sure to get your handmade Bijar rug shipped to you in excellent condition. We carefully wrap the rug and ship all our rugs via Fed Ex, fully insured with the tracking number provided.

Often before shipping, I will have created a video of the rug for a potential client to clearly show the piece from all angles providing detailed descriptions. Here is one of my Oriental rug videos to give you an idea.

This video includes a few of the beautiful Bijar rugs currently available at my gallery. Filmed August 31, 2019.

We do ship rugs on “an approval” basis so if you have any questions, please give us a call (707-823-3355).  We ship to all cities within the US.

Bijar Rug Gallery

You can find the Bijar rugs we currently have available on the gallery pages of my site: Oriental Rug Gallery. Paradise Oriental Rugs is located in the Bay Area, just over an hour north of San Francisco. As of January 2020 after 15 years in Sebastopol, CA my rugs are available on an appointment basis at my private showroom in near by Santa Rosa, CA.

Many clients have traveled from all points in the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Palo Alto and many other locations in the Bay Area to come purchase rugs at my gallery.

This Persian Bijar is in the Garrus Design. The size is 8'2' x 11'4". This is a new rug in an antique design skillfully woven in gorgeous colors! Please call for prices.

View my Garros Bijar rug video

This lovely Bijar is 8'6" x 10'4" in the Shah Abbas design. 

This is the largest Bijar I have available, the size being 11'2" x 15'4" Garrus Design.

Persian Garros Bijar Video

This beautiful Bijar is 8'2" x 10'8". This is the Shah Abbas design perfectly executed!

Here is a video of this Bijar rug piece

If you enjoyed this Bijar rug article and would like to see a few more articles I have written on the subject of Oriental rugs, here is a link to my Oriental rug articles page on my website.

Please feel free to share on any social media that you enjoy.

Do give us a call (707-823-3355) or call about if you have some interest in purchasing a beautiful Tribal rug. We love showing Oriental rugs and are friendly and highly service oriented.

Hope to hear from you and thank you for visiting my website and reading my article on Bijar Rugs.

Penny Krieger
Owner,
Paradise Oriental Rugs, Inc.
(By Appointment Only)
1228 E Alder St.
Walla Walla, WA 99362

Email: afsharlady@aol.com
Paradise Oriental Rugs, call today! (707)-823-3355

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