Arak is a city in central Iran that was called Sultanabad for most of the period these rugs were woven, and the name still carries weight in the trade. We hold 79 Arak rugs, and the thing that sets them apart from the other central Persian origins here is the drawing: two in five are all-over patterns rather than medallions.
The boteh
The motif you will see most is the boteh, a teardrop with a bent tip, repeated in rows across the field. It is the same shape that European weavers copied and the town of Paisley in Scotland eventually gave its name to. On a rug it does what the Torkaman gul does: it makes the field into a texture rather than a picture.
You will also see our listings use the word Botteh for some of these rugs. It is the same family; the trade has never fully agreed on which name to put on which piece, and we keep whichever the supplier’s own list used rather than tidying it into something that looks neater than the truth.
Color and build
Deep red and burgundy lead two thirds of ours, with cream and navy in the borders. Most are low pile, though Arak has more high-pile pieces than any other origin we carry, which is worth knowing if you like a rug with some weight underfoot.
Size
Arak weaving covers more ground than most: small pieces, plenty of room sizes, and a dozen that run over seventy-five square feet. Prices sit between about $230 and $2,510 with the middle around $745, which puts it between the village origins and the city workshops.
Where it fits
An all-over boteh rug is more forgiving than a medallion rug in a room where furniture will cover part of the floor, because there is no center to hide. That makes Arak a sensible choice under a dining table or a bed. See bed sizing for the measurements, or browse the Arak collection.
