Baluch – 204 x 127 cm

The Baluch or |Baluchi are a tribal group with a distinct and ancient identity and their own language. They live in the east and north-eastern parts of Iran where their territories adjoin those of the Turkmen and Quchan kurds. The rugs produced by these three ethnic groups have influenced each other. The Baluch also inhabit adjoining parts of Afghanistan, and there is a province of Pakistan called Baluchistan although no rugs are woven there. In Iran the Baluch are divided into two main groups, the Old Baluchi and the New Baluchi, and these groups in turn are divided into a number of subtribes. The rugs are mostly sold in the markets of Mashhad and Turbat e Haidari

Some of the Baluch tribespeople are now settled and have intermarried with the local population. This has had an effect on rug production. Traditionally, as is the case with all tribal rugs, the warps and wefts as well as the pile are of wool, but in the production of the settled tribespeople this has now sometimes been replaced by cotton. The colours of the rugs are distinctive; the emphasis is on sombre colours; reds, dark blues (which often fade into a soft grey), whites and browns. The rugs are very carefully knotted and much more care is taken in the execution than with any other tribal rugs.