Mashad

Mashad is the capital city of the province of Khorasan in northeastern Iran. This holy city is famous for the shrine of the eighth Shiite Imam, Imam Reza. Another factor which has given Mashad great significance, is its geographical positioning in eastern Iran. In addition to being a rug-weaving center, Mashad is also a trade center for the rugs of its neighboring villages and tribes such as Baluchis and Turkomans of Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Majority of Mashad rugs are woven in workshops; others are made on home-based looms in surrounding villages. Mashad mostly produces large rugs. The majority of Mashad rugs are woven with the asymmetrical (Persian) knot although the symmetrical (Turkish) knot is found.

The pattern of Mashad rugs is almost always curvilinear. The most common Mashad design is shah abbasi medallion-and-corner with large pendants. This design is sometimes similar to the Kashan shah abbasi medallion-and-corner with a diamond shape medallion and a background filled with shah abbasi motifs, and other times it is similar to Kerman Koran medallion-and-corner design with a plainer background; however, the medallion tends to be more circular than Kerman medallions.