Afshar rugs are historically woven by the Afshar tribe, a Turkic-speaking nomadic group that traditionally lived in south‑central Iran (particularly Kerman and Yazd provinces) and parts of Azerbaijan. They are not native to Afghanistan in the same way Baluch or Turkoman rugs are.

An Afghan Afshar rug is essentially an Afghan‑woven tribal rug in the style of the Persian Afshar, which requires keeping the crisp geometric look and rich colours, but woven with the materials, knotting habits, and regional influences of Afghanistan. They are valued for being durable, decorative, and more affordable than antique Iranian Afshars, whilst still offering a strong tribal character.

In addition, this rug has been dyed with vegetable dyes (also known as natural dyes) are colorants derived from plants, roots, bark, leaves, fruits, and other organic materials, used to dye textiles, including wool in rugs.

They have been used for hundreds of years and are valued for their rich, earthy tones, colorfastness, and environmental sustainability.

Mordanting

• Before dyeing, wool is usually soaked in a mordant (like alum, iron, or copper salts) to help the dye chemically bond to the fibre.

• Mordants also affect the final colour as iron darkens, alum brightens, copper can shift toward green.

Dyeing Process

• The dyed fibre is simmered or soaked in the plant extract in a big pot of boiling mountain or river sourced water

• Multiple dips may be needed for deeper hues.

The yarn is then rinsed, dried, and sun-exposed to solidify the colour.

Lastly, this rug uses the Persian knot, also known as the asymmetrical knot or Senneh knot, which is one of the two main types of knots used in hand-knotted rug weaving The Persian knot is an asymmetrical knot that wraps around one warp thread and under the adjacent one, allowing for finer detail and greater density in the rug design. The yarn is looped around one warp thread (vertical foundation fibre) and then pulled under the next, not enclosing both warps. This asymmetry creates a slightly offset pile knot and the ends of the knot come out between the warps, giving a more compact and flexible surface.