Shiraz Rugs: Small by Design

By Storied Rugs6 min read

Dark blue-gray room under a skylight with a small taupe geometric rug, rustic oak bench with sheepskin, rush armchair, olive tree and baskets

Shiraz rugs are tribal and village rugs from Fars province in southern Persia, sold through the city of Shiraz.^[1] Most are small: mats, accent rugs and runners, with only a few large enough for a room. They are warm, mostly red, and a little irregular, because many were woven on looms that could be taken apart and carried.^[1]

That small size is the most useful thing to know about the origin, and it is where this guide starts.

Small square Shiraz mat in faded red and navy on white hexagon tiles beside a clawfoot bathtub, with a wooden stool and fern — A Shiraz mat, 2 feet 2 inches by 2 feet, in faded red and navy. Mats and accent rugs like this, along with runners, make up most of the Shiraz rugs you will find.

Why nearly all of them are small

Shiraz sits in Fars province, in the southwest of Persia. The weaving the city gave its name to came from tribal and village looms, not from city workshops.^[1] Nomadic weavers used a loom that lay on the ground and could be packed up when the camp moved.^[2] A loom that has to be taken apart and carried has a limit. That limit shows in the size of every rug that came off it.

Compare it with Kerman, where most rugs are room size. The two come from the same country and the same century, but they worked under opposite limits. Kerman wove for export and formal rooms. The tribes of Fars wove for the floor of a tent or a village house. Our guide to tribal, village and city rugs explains how those three kinds of weaving differ.

Colors and designs

Deep red is the most common field color by a wide margin, and burgundy comes next. Rust, navy, cream and taupe turn up in smaller numbers. It is a warm, saturated palette, and a little unruly, because tribal weaving allows things a workshop would not.

A common layout is a row of two or three diamond-shaped medallions down the middle, with small animals, stars and flowers scattered around them. You will also see a border change width, or a motif appear once and nowhere else.^[1] Two greens may not quite match, because the second batch of wool was dyed later. Those soft bands of color are called abrash.^[3]

None of that is a fault. Those quirks show that a person made the rug, and they are why a rug with motifs you can read is more interesting than a perfect one.

Red Shiraz runner with linked diamond medallions down a white plaster Spanish revival hallway, with a carved console, terracotta jars and olive tree — A Shiraz runner, 3 feet 5 inches by 9 feet 11 inches: linked diamond medallions on a deep red field, a classic Shiraz layout stretched to hallway length.

How to recognize a Shiraz

Straight lines. The drawing is geometric, built from diamonds, hooks and steps rather than smooth curves.^[4]

The sides. Look at the long edges. On many Shiraz rugs the wool wrapped around them changes color every few inches, like a barber’s pole.^[5]

A little wobble. Many are not perfectly straight at the edges or exactly the same width at both ends. That is normal for a rug woven on a loom that was moved and set up again.

Close view of a deep red Shiraz rug corner with stepped botteh motifs, an ivory border and a striped wrapped side edge on terracotta tiles — The side of a small Shiraz, where the wool wrapped around the edge changes color every few inches, like a barber’s pole. The botteh in the field are drawn in steps and hooks, with no smooth curves.

What they cost

Most Shiraz rugs cost between $250 and $1,000. The small mats sit at the bottom of that range, and the runners and the few larger rugs at the top. Our price breakdown shows that small rugs cost the most per square foot. A Shiraz is cheap in total but not cheap by area.

Nearly all have a low pile, so they lie flat and do not catch the edge of a door.

Where a small rug earns its place

An accent rug is easy to buy badly. It ends up floating in the middle of a room, too small to anchor anything. These are the spots where this size works best:

Beside a bed, one each side, so your feet land on wool in the morning.
In an entryway, where the rug takes the grit and the wear and can be turned end for end every few months.
Under a chair or a small table, to mark off a reading corner in a larger room.
Layered over a larger plain rug or over carpet. We covered how that works in layering rugs over carpet and hardwood.
Down a hallway, if you choose one of the Shiraz runners.

Our guide on where to put a small rug has more ideas, with sizes for each spot.

What a Shiraz will not do is furnish a living room. If that is the job, start with the size guide, then look at Isparta or Mahal instead.

Slate blue Shiraz with a brick red border on pine boards in a cottage living room, with a linen sofa and blue cupboard — A Shiraz, 5 feet 3 inches by 8 feet 8 inches, in slate blue and brick. It is one of the larger Shiraz rugs, and only a few reach this size.

Shiraz or Baluch?

They are the two tribal origins people compare most, and fairly so. A Baluch is darker and quieter, with reds that look nearly brown, black borders and a palette that recedes. A Shiraz is louder. It shows more red, and it is more willing to put a teal or a slate blue beside it.

If the room needs the rug to disappear, choose a Baluch. If it needs one small, warm thing on the floor, choose a Shiraz.

Looking after a small rug

Small rugs slide, so put a thin pad under one on a wood or tile floor. A mat by the door collects the most grit. Take it outside now and then and shake it, or beat it gently from the back. Turn it end for end so the wear spreads out. For spills and washing, see our rug care page.

When you know the spot and its size, browse the Shiraz collection.

From the collection