Kakaberu Tribal Rug
Origin | Iran (Persian)
Dimensions | 3'11" × 8'3"
Type | Hand-Knotted / Double-Wefted
Pile Material | Wool
Foundation Material | Cotton
Design | Mazlaghan - lightning bolt
Condition | Very Good - This rug has no holes or tears. The pile is soft and mostly even with a few small spots of lower pile. Pile height is low/medium. The fringe on the ends are intact. The selvedge on the sides are in very good condition. This is an excellent example of Persian tribal rugs.
About Kurdish Kakaberu Tribal Rugs:
The Kakaberu rug represents a fascinating addition to the world of Persian rugs. This is a true tribal rug, which defies some of the expectations about traditional rug-weaving. The Kakaberu are a tribe living in a mountainous region, south of Senneh and Bijar, Kurdish villages known for their rugs and carpets. Bijar particularly has a robust rug presence in this predominantly Kurdish region of Iran, with a reputation for their “iron rugs”, which are beautiful and durable. Nearby, further south, are the Kurdish market towns of Sonqur and Kermanshah, centers of the rug and carpet market in the region.
Kakaberu rugs lack the finesse of the typical Bijar, but also produce their rugs under far different conditions. The Kakaberu live in rugged mountain terrain, and are known for being a highly expressive, creative, and fiercely independent people. Their carpets are coarse, but well-made and double-wefted, with a very solid foundation. Kakaberu rugs are very heavy, of heavy & thick pile, and like the Bijars, very durable. They are known for their somber & dark color schemes. Dark browns, dark blues and blacks are prominent. Reds are usually muted to a salmon, light brown, or mahogany. The central medallion often does not look like a typical medallion, but its anchor-like ends serve to draw the eye towards the zigzag structures at the ends of the rug, and the ends of the field are always black or dark blue. These rugs contain Bijar-like motifs, but many of them are used in a way that depart vastly from typical Bijar expression. Often the symbols and motifs remain unclear and mysterious. As with other rug-weaving communities, it is not unusual to find designs and motifs which have been appropriated/borrowed from other rug-weaving neighbors. With the Kakaberu, most of this is from fellow Kurdish tribes or communities, but sometimes designs find their way into the repertoire from more distant sources. For instance, the Maslaghan “lightning bolt” design is found in some Kakaberu rugs. Almost all of the Kakaberu rugs are of the kelleyi size, of 4-5 feet wide and 7-9 feet long.
PRJ Ford, 1994. Thames and Hudson, Oriental Carpet Design. With appreciation to this author, who has researched extensively and has more information available about the Kakaberu than almost any available resource.