Goravan Rugs
Goravan is a village in the Heriz district of north-west Iran. Its rugs share the Heriz vocabulary of large angular medallions and cornerpieces, drawn a little more boldly and knotted a little more coarsely.
That coarser build is part of the appeal: these are rugs made to be walked on. Runners are the most common size here, alongside area and room-size pieces. Every rug is vintage and unique.
Goravan is one of the villages of the Heriz district. To see the district as a whole, including Heriz and Gharajeh, browse Heriz rugs.
Goravan: the bolder hand of the Heriz district
Goravan is a village in the Heriz district of north west Iran, and its carpets speak the same language as Heriz: a large angular medallion, squared corner brackets, and a field of stylized vines. The difference is in the hand. Goravan drawing is broader, the knot count is generally lower, and the whole carpet reads as more emphatic.
For a long time that made Goravan the value end of the Heriz district. It is a fair description commercially, and a poor one aesthetically, because the boldness is genuinely attractive in a large room.
What a Goravan usually looks like
- Drawing: a big geometric medallion with strong corners, drawn with fewer, larger elements than a Heriz.
- Color: rust and madder grounds, indigo medallions, ivory corner fields.
- Construction: thick wool pile on cotton, coarser knotting, heavy and hard wearing.
- Sizes: runners are the most common here, alongside area and oversized pieces.
Where they earn their keep
Goravan runners are unusually good hallway rugs. The pattern is large enough to read as you walk over it, and the coarse build takes daily traffic without complaint.
In a larger size, a Goravan does the same job as a Heriz in a room that does not need the finer drawing.
How to tell it from a Heriz
Turn the rug over. A Heriz back shows more knots per inch and finer definition in the medallion outline; a Goravan back is coarser and the design steps in larger increments. On the front, look at the corner brackets: Goravan corners are usually simpler and more angular.
Goravan rug questions, answered
Is Goravan a lesser Heriz?
It is a coarser one, which is not the same thing. For a floor that gets hard use, a Goravan is often the more sensible rug.
Are they good for hallways?
Very. The runners in this collection are the strongest argument for the district.
Where exactly is Goravan?
It is a village in the Heriz weaving district of East Azerbaijan, north west Iran, a short distance from Heriz itself.
Choosing your Goravan
Start with shape, since the runners and the room sizes suit very different spaces. Every rug here is a genuine vintage piece and one of a kind.