Chobi rugs

Where the name comes from

Chobi comes from "choob," the Persian word for wood. It was first given to rugs colored with natural dyes, whose soft browns, rusts and ivories recall natural wood.

The rugs are woven by hand in Afghanistan and in Pakistan, often by Afghan weavers. The style grew from the 1980s onward, largely for buyers in North America and Europe.

The Ziegler connection

Many chobi designs are based on rugs made in the late 1800s in Sultanabad, Persia, for the Ziegler company of Manchester, England. Those rugs had large, open patterns and softer colors than most Persian rugs of the time, to suit European rooms.

Modern chobi rugs keep that look: an open field, large leafy shapes and borders in rust, sand, sage, ivory and slate blue.

How they are made

A chobi is hand-knotted, usually from hand-spun wool, on a cotton or wool foundation. After weaving, most are washed to soften the colors and the feel of the pile.

Natural dyes are part of the story, but not every chobi uses only natural dyes. If it matters to you, ask the seller what dyes were used.

What to check before you buy

Turn the rug over. The back should show the same design as the front, made of small, slightly uneven knots. A cloth or glued backing means the rug is tufted, not knotted.

Look for gentle color shifts across the field (abrash). They are normal in hand-spun, hand-dyed wool. Check that the rug lies flat and that the sides run reasonably straight.

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