Oriental Rug: What the Term Covers, from Afghan to Moroccan
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An oriental rug is the trade's name for a hand-knotted rug made in the broad belt of weaving countries that runs from Morocco through Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran and Afghanistan to India and China. The term says where a rug comes from and how it was made, and nothing about its style. A dark red Afghan rug with rows of octagons and an ivory Moroccan rug with a few wandering lines are both oriental rugs. This page gives a short map of the main families, compares Afghan and Moroccan rugs in detail, and explains how to choose among them for a real room.
From the Atelier
Currently in our collection
The main families of oriental rug
Persian rugs, from Iran, are the best known: finely knotted, often floral, with a medallion and borders. Turkish rugs range from soft-coloured Oushaks to bold village pieces and kilims. Caucasian rugs are small, bright and strongly geometric. Indian and Chinese workshops have long produced rugs in Persian styles and in their own.
Afghan and Turkmen rugs form the Central Asian family: deep reds, repeated octagonal motifs called guls, and a dense, low pile. Moroccan rugs stand at the western end of the belt and apart from the rest: rural, loosely drawn, often ivory or freely coloured, and usually thicker in the pile.
What an Afghan rug is
The classic Afghan rug is red: a field of deep or wine red with rows of large octagons in dark blue or black, framed by several borders. The pile is short and dense, the wool is sturdy, and the rug is heavy and hard-wearing. Designs are handed down and repeated with great regularity.
Afghan weaving also includes Baluch rugs, small and dark, with prayer-niche and tree designs, as well as flat-woven kilims and, from recent decades, workshop rugs in softer colours and older Persian and Caucasian patterns, made largely for export. These last are often sold simply as Afghan, or as Ziegler or Chobi rugs.
Afghan rug and Moroccan rug compared
In colour and mood they are opposites. A traditional Afghan rug is dark, warm and ordered, with a repeated motif and a firm frame. It makes a room feel enclosed and rich, and suits leather, dark wood and book-lined walls. A Moroccan rug is light or brightly coloured, irregular and unframed, and makes a room feel open.
In the hand they differ as much. The Afghan rug is dense and flat, stiff when new, and stands up to boots, chairs and decades of traffic. The Moroccan rug is thicker, softer and looser. One is the better choice under a desk or a dining table, the other beside a bed or in front of a sofa.
How to choose an oriental rug
Begin with the room and not the country. Decide on size first. Then decide whether the floor should be dark or light, patterned or quiet, firm or soft. Those three answers narrow the field to one or two families far faster than reading about origins.
Then check the rug as an object. Turn it over: on a hand-knotted rug the design shows on the back, and the fringe is part of the weave. Ask for the fibre, which should be wool for the pile. Ask for the measured size. A name such as Afghan, Persian or Moroccan on a machine-made rug describes a pattern only.
What we hold
We sell one family of oriental rug: Moroccan. We do not hold Afghan, Persian or Turkish rugs, and would rather describe them fairly here than pretend they do not exist. Our collection is 275 hand-knotted wool rugs, of which 120 are Azilal, 119 Beni Mrirt and twenty-two Beni Ourain.
Seventy-one have an ivory or cream ground and seventy-eight are multicoloured. If the warmth of a red rug is what you are after, seven are in burgundy and wine tones and twelve in terracotta. Each rug is one of a kind, with its exact measurements on its own page. Delivery is free worldwide, duties and taxes included.
What you can verify about us
- Origin
- Made in MoroccoHand-knotted Berber rugs from the Atlas regions. Every rug is one of a kind.
- Construction
- Hand-knotted woolVerified at every stage — never machine-tufted.
- Delivery
- Duties includedFree shipping; import duties and taxes are included in the price.
- Returns
- 14 daysIn condition received, full refund of the purchase price.
Frequently Asked
Questions
- What is an oriental rug?
- A hand-knotted rug from the weaving regions between Morocco and China, including Turkey, Iran, the Caucasus, Afghanistan and India.
- Is a Moroccan rug an oriental rug?
- In the trade's broad sense, yes: it is hand-knotted in North Africa. In style it stands apart from Persian and Central Asian rugs.
- What is the difference between an Afghan rug and a Moroccan rug?
- Afghan rugs are dark red, dense and regularly patterned. Moroccan rugs are lighter, softer and freely drawn.
- Are oriental rugs always wool?
- The pile is usually wool, sometimes silk. The foundation may be wool or cotton.
Sources & References
What this page rests on
- 1. Tribal Carpet Tradition Comparison
- 2. Turkmen Carpet Documentation
The person behind the piece
“Before you buy, I’ll send you a video of the actual rug in natural light — not a stock photo. I answer the messages myself.”
I’m Youssef. I started ARINID because this market is full of middlemen and machine-made imitations sold as the real thing — and I grew up close enough to the looms to know the difference.
Every piece we list is one of a kind, hand-knotted in Morocco. If you want to talk through sizing for your room, I’m on the other end of the message. A rug at this level is a thirty-year decision. You should be able to look the person selling it to you in the eye.
Youssef
Founder, ARINID
The next step
See every rug we currently offer
Each piece is hand-knotted in Morocco and delivered to your door, with shipping, duties and taxes included.