Hossein Abad Rugs
Hossein Abad is one of the many weaving villages in the Hamadan region of western Iran. The work is unpretentious village weaving: single-wefted, flat, and built for daily use.
Nearly everything we carry from here is a runner, which is what these villages wove most. Every piece is vintage and one of a kind.
Hossein Abad: runners from the Hamadan villages
Hossein Abad is one of the many weaving villages spread across the Hamadan plain in western Iran. There are several places of the name in Iran, which is a reminder that this is village production rather than a famous workshop town, but the weaving is consistent and recognizable: single wefted, flat, honestly geometric.
What the village is known for is runners. Nearly everything in this collection is a long, narrow rug, which is exactly what these villages wove in quantity for local houses with long corridors.
What a Hossein Abad usually looks like
- Drawing: repeating boteh, stepped diamonds and hooked medallions running the length of the field.
- Color: madder red and indigo with camel grounds appearing regularly, ivory in the outlines.
- Construction: single wefted, wool on cotton, thin and flexible.
- Sizes: runners, with the occasional oversized piece.
Where they earn their keep
This is the collection to look at if you have a corridor. A repeating field means the runner does not look cut off wherever it ends, which is the usual problem with a medallion runner in a hallway of the wrong length.
The thin single wefted build also clears low doors, which matters more in a hallway than anywhere else in a house.
Why village runners are worth knowing about
Runners are the hardest shape to buy well. Most are either machine made or cut down from larger carpets, and both show. A genuine village runner was woven as a runner, with a border that resolves properly at both ends and a field designed to repeat, and once you have seen the difference it is difficult to unsee.
Hossein Abad rug questions, answered
Is this a village or a district?
A village, within the wider Hamadan weaving region of western Iran.
How do I know a runner has not been cut down?
Look at both ends. An original runner has a complete border and finished ends; a cut down carpet usually has a border that stops mid pattern or has been reconstructed.
Will a thin runner slip?
On a hard floor, use a thin pad. The flexibility that makes these rugs good for doorways also means they need a little grip underneath.
Choosing your Hossein Abad
Measure the corridor and allow a gap at each end rather than filling it wall to wall. Every runner here is vintage and one of a kind.