Carpet glossary: M-O
Machine-knotted rugs, a common name for carpets produced mechanically. The opposite of hand-knotted carpets, which take significantly longer to produce.
Machine-produced rugs, another name for machine-knotted rugs .
Machine-woven carpets, another name for machine-knotted carpets.
Mahal carpets, knotted in the western part of central Persia in the Sarough area. The carpets are manufactured in a number of different patterns, but often have a centrally placed medallion and a distinct defined border where the influence from the British Colonial power from the 19th century can be spotted. The Mahal carpets are very durable.
Mahalat, another name for Mahal carpets.
Malayer carpets, hand knotted carpets from the city of Malayer, Iran. Beautiful carpets that are knotted with principally Turkish knot, but also Persian knot occurs. They often have a pattern with stylized floral motifs or geometric shaped medallions.
Mamluk carpets, a kind of hand knotted carpets from Egypt manufactured in Cairo during the Mamluk dynasty between 1250-1517. The carpets are large and have geometrical patterns in heavily red, blue and green colours.
Mashad carpets, Meshed carpets , handknotted carpets from the city of Mashad in north-eastern Iran.
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Maslaghan carpets, hand knotted carpets from the district of Irak-Ajemi.
Mekri carpets, Anatolian hand knotted carpet. Manufactured in Mekri, southeast of Melas in Turkey.
Melas carpets, hand knotted carpets from the city of Melas (today Milas) in south-western Turkey. The most common carpets are small and woven on a warp of wool and with double weft threads of wool or cotton. The carpets usually have Mihrab patterns with wide borders and the colours used are often brick-red and brown yellow.
Meriban carpets, hand knotted carpets from the village of Meriban, south of Heriz, Iran.
Meshed carpets, a different name for Mashad carpets.
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Meshed-Baluch carpets, hand knotted carpets manufactured by the Beluch in north-eastern Iran. See also Baluch carpets.
Meskin carpets, Meshkin carpets , hand knotted carpets from the city of Meskinshar in north-western Iran close to the border of Caucasia. The carpets are mostly runners with a heavy influence of Caucasian geometric patterns, often in violet-red. The older Meskin carpets have a warp of wool, the newer a warp of cotton.
Meyghan carpets, hand knotted carpets of heavy quality from the district of Irak-Ajemi.
Mianeh carpets, hand knotted carpets from an area south of Tabriz.
Mihrab, prayer niche, whose pointed part is aimed towards Mecca when a muslim person is praying.
Mikrach carpets, hand knotted carpets from Caucasia, see Dagestan carpets .
Mir carpets, carpets where the pattern is dominated by small mir-e butha . The carpets are manufactured mainly in the districts of Serabend- and Sarough in western Iran. Newly manufactured Mir carpets from India in subdued colours are very common nowadays.
Mir-e butha, buteh, together with the Herati pattern, the most common of the Oriental carpet patterns.
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Mirzapur, district in India with a large production of carpets.
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Mithi carpets, hand knotted carpets from the city of Mithi, Pakistan.
Mochtaschem, a different name for Mohtashem.
Mohair, (from Arabian mukhayyar) a fabric of goat hair/wool from the Angora goat. The fibres are longer, shinier and stronger than the wool from the sheep but less elastic. It is also very light and warm. It is used when manufacturing more exclusive carpets.
Mohtashem, Mochtaschem , originally the name on a 19th century famous carpet knotter from Keshan in Iran. Today, the term is used as a quality denomination on Keshan carpets, meaning the quality of wool used in the carpets is high.
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Monastir carpets, Munastir carpets, hand knotted carpets from the city of Monastir (Bitola) in Macedonia. They were manufactured during the 18th and 19th centuries and the carpets (often praying carpets) are seldom longer than 1,5 m. Handspun yarn, beautiful natural colours and old genuine patterns have made these carpets into collector items.
Morchekar carpets, hand knotted carpets from an area north of Isfahan.
Moroccan carpets, see North African carpets.
Mosul carpets, a wrongful denomination on Hamadan carpets , which dates back to an earlier western export of these carpets through the city Mosul in Iraq.
Moud carpets, Mud carpets , hand knotted carpets form the city of Moud in Iran, a kind of Khorasan carpets.
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Mudjur carpets, hand knotted Anatolian carpets. They are knotted in the area around the city of Kir-Sher in Turkey.
Mughal carpets, these carpets are knotted in India in the 16th and 17th century by drafted Persian knotters, on an initiative of the great mughals. Nowadays the carpets are rare collector's item that stands out with contemporary Persian carpets.
Mughan carpets, hand knotted carpets from the district of Karabagh, Azerbajdzjan.
Multan carpets, hand knotted in the city of Multan, southwest of Lahore, Pakistan.
Munastir carpets, a different name for Monastir carpets.
Muskabad carpets, a different name for Mahal carpets.
Nahavand carpets, hand knotted carpets from the province of Hamadan. The pattern resemble those of the Malayer carpets.
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Nain carpets, exclusive carpets manufactured in the city of Nain, east of Isfahan.
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Najafabad, hand knotted carpet from Iran, similar to Isfahan and Keshan carpets and are of very high quality. The carpets is thought to be very durable and often have medallion patterns in the colours of red, green, khaki and blue.
Ningxia carpets, Ninghsia carpets , hand knotted carpets from the Ningxia area in northern China. These carpets often have yellow nuances and traditional Chinese carpet patterns. They are knotted with a Persian knot on a warp of cotton and have a pile of high quality wool. The so called pillar carpets are mostly from Ningxia.
Niris carpets, hand knotted carpets from an area north of Shiraz, Iran.
Nomad carpets, handknotted carpets manufactured by nomads, mainly in Turkey, Iran and Turkmenistan.
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North African carpets, hand knotted carpets from Morocco, Tunis and Egypt.
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Nushki carpets, hand knotted carpets from the city of Nushki, south of Quetta, Pakistan.
Odd border, a different name for Sjirvan border.
Ogurdschali carpets, hand knotted carpets that resemble Chaudor carpets.
Ornament rya, a warming bed quilt made in pile rug technique, that in former days was woven as a decoration in the environment for country people. The colourful pattern on the fluffy side was often taken from embroided cloths. See also rya.
Oriental carpets, hand knotted carpets manufactured in separated areas between the Balkans and China. A hand knotted carpet is manufactured by placing rows of knots in different colours on a stretched warp, with weft threads between the rows making a pattern. Usually two kinds of knots are used; symmetrical and asymmetrical. The warp can be simple, diagonal or double.
Oushak carpets, hand knotted carpets from the city of Oushak in Turkey.