Unique to Nain (also romanized as Naein) are some of Iran’s most outstanding monuments: the Jame Mosque [one of the first four mosques built in Iran after the Arab invasion that has a Sassanid fort]; the Pre-Islamic Narej Fortress; a Pirnia traditional house; the Old Bazaar; and the world-renown Nain rug!
Besides Nain’s magnificent monuments, the city has gained its reputation for high-quality rugs and wool textile. This article tells you the history of this fantastic Persian rug and its unique features.
History of The Nain Rug
The story of Nain rug began in the 1930s. Although Nain rugs are not as old as many other Persian rugs, they retain their value in construction. Nain rugs and Kilims have a high reputation and are very popular in the market.
Material and craft are of the highest class, and the knot density is high, often more than one million knots per square meter! The material in the more exclusive rugs consists of wool on a silk warp or silk in the warp and the weft and pile.
The Specific Knot Count of The Nain Rug
They are exquisitely woven with the Persian knot, with an average of 300 knots per square inch. The higher the knots per square inch and the lower the LAA, the higher the quality and the price of a Nain rug is. LAA is a Farsi word for layers and refers to the layers or ply of each warp the rug is woven upon.
An easier way to think of this is LAA which is the number of yarn fibers that make up one fringe. To find the LAA, take one strand of fringe and unravel it as follows. When one stand fringe is unraveled, it is easy to see the number of layers of threads used. There will be either 2 or 3 threads in that one strand.
If three threads unravel those 3. This would be a 9 LAA or Nola (Nola is the Farsi word for 9) (3×3 = 9). If the three threads unravel to only two additional threads each, it would be a 6 LAA rug or Shisla (3×2 = 6). If only two threads are in the fringe strand, unravel those 2. You will find they will unravel into two threads each, and it will be a 4 LAA rug or Charla (2×2 =4).
The Main Characteristics of Nain Rugs
Size: These rugs are often grandiose in scale, many exceeding 25 feet in length.
Warp: mostly cotton, sometimes silk.
Weft: mostly cotton.
Pile: The pile consists of wool, woven with an asymmetrical (Persian) knot and clipped short, sharply defining the design elements. The wool in the Nain rug, known as Kork wool, is usually finer than the standard Persian wool.
Knot count: Generally between 35 and 75 in 7 cm or more than 800 per square inch. The standard used to determine the quality of a Nain rug is the measurement of LAA, the number of threads forming each fringe at the end of the rug.
Knot: Asymmetric (Persian) Knot.
Design and pattern: Patterns with a medallion in the middle and arabesques and floral motifs are common. The similarity to rugs from the nearby city of Isfahan is remarkable.
But they are easily distinguishable by the colors used. Elegant and understated, the Persian Nain rug is highly desirable and a testament to the craftsmanship of the area.
The curvilinear type of design allows for artistic and elaborate motifs. There is typically a center medallion on a dark blue or ivory field, elaborately filled with flower motifs such as the Shah Abbasi, creating a garden-like background. You could find it in an all-over format or with a centrally located diamond-shaped medallion as well as arabesques and birds and animals.
Color: Generally bright colors: Cream, Khaki, Beige, white, Green, Yellow, Red. Nain is one of the few weaving cities which uses white wool as a predominant color. Nain uses fewer amounts of shade, rarely more than eight different colors in one rug.
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