A Gabbeh is a cheerful hand-woven pile rug of coarse quality and medium size (90 x 150 cm or larger) characterized by an abstract rustic design that relies upon open fields of color and a playfulness with geometry. This type of rug is popular among tribes of the Zagros Mountains of Iran, including Kurdish, Luri and Qashqai tribes and is usually crafted by women.
Gabbeh carpets are much thicker and coarser than other Persian carpets with the word 'Gabbeh' derived from the Persian meaning raw, natural, uncut. This is a rough and primitive rug ideally suited for that less formal room.
Gabbeh patterns are of a very basic kind with only a limited number of decoratives, mostly rectangular objects resembling mainly animals. In Gabbeh usually bright colors, such as yellow and red, are used. Although large fields of solid color are used in Gabbeh designs, the color is variegated (the color varies throughout the rug).
Gabbehs are made of natural, handspun wool yarn and all the colors are created with natural plant dye. Due to its relative ease of production (less precise pattern, small number of (knots per square centimeter, etc.) a Gabbe is one of the less expensive varieties of Persian carpet. |
