Persian knot vs Turkish knot

The Turkish knot

The Turkish or symmetric knot wraps around two neighboring warps. The yarn goes over both, and its two ends come up together between them. Seen up close, the knot looks the same from either side, which is where the name symmetric comes from.

It is used in Turkey, the Caucasus and East Turkestan, and by many Turkish and Kurdish weavers in Iran. Heriz rugs, for example, are tied with it. The knot is firm and suits bold, geometric designs.

The Persian knot

The Persian or asymmetric knot wraps fully around only one warp and passes behind the warp next to it. One end of the yarn comes up between the two warps and the other comes up outside them. The knot opens either to the left or to the right.

It is used in many Iranian city workshops and in India, Pakistan, China and Egypt. It lets the weaver place knots very close together, which suits fine, curving floral designs.

The names can mislead

The names point to traditions, not to countries. Some Turkish rugs use the Persian knot, and many Iranian rugs use the Turkish one. Even rugs from the town of Senneh, which gave the Persian knot its other name, are often tied with the symmetric knot.

So the knot is one clue to where a rug was made, never the answer on its own. Experts read it together with the materials, the dyes, the design and the way the ends and sides are finished.

The jufti knot

A jufti, or false knot, is tied over four warps instead of two. It uses about half the yarn and half the time, and it is sometimes used in large plain areas of the field. The pile is thinner and wears out sooner, so a rug with many jufti knots is a weaker rug.

Which knot is better?

Neither. A skilled weaver makes a beautiful, durable rug with either knot. The quality of the wool, the dyes, the density and the care in the weaving matter far more than which knot was used.

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