Michael Rothberg is a San Francisco Bay Area collector of antique carpets and rugs, and a careful and methodical expert on the genre, with many years experience of acquiring only the best for his collections.

FOREWORD 7 PREFACE 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 11 INTRODUCTION 13 I. CONTEXT 17 EARLY RUG WEAVING 19 NOMADIC PASTORALISM 20 SHEEP, GOATS, AND OTHER ANIMALS 23 THE ROLE OF NOMADIC WOMEN 25 TRANSPORT BAGS 26 PERSIAN SADDLE BLANKETS 28 TRIBAL DESIGN ORIGINS 29 ASPECTS OF DESIGN 31 THE ROSETTE 34 SYMBOLISM 40 THE PLATES – OVERVIEW 41 2. TRANSCAUCASIA & NORTH PERSIA 45 2.1 TRANSCAUCASIA 46 HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY 47 DESIGN TRADITION 48 TECHNICAL PROFILE 50 PLATES 1–26 52 2.2 THE SHAHSEVAN CONFEDERATION 86 HISTORY 87 SHAHSEVAN WOMEN 91 DESIGN TRADITION 91 TECHNICAL PROFILE 92 ARRANGEMENT OF PLATES 27–44 92 PLATES 27–44 94 2.3 PERSIAN AZERBAIJAN 120 HISTORY 121 THE TRIBES OF AZERBAIJAN 123 TECHNICAL PROFILE & DESIGN TRADITION 124 PLATES 45–71 126 2.4 THE KURDS 170 HISTORY 171 RELIGION & WOMEN 172 THE JAF KURDS 172 TECHNICAL PROFILE & DESIGN TRADITION 173 PLATES 72–94 176 2.5 varamin 210 THE TRIBES 211 ATTRIBUTIONS 212 WEAVING FORMAT & DESIGN TRADITION 212 TECHNICAL PROFILE 214 PLATES 95–110 216 3. SOUTH & EAST PERSIA 239 3.1 THE AFSHAR TRIBES OF KERMAN PROVINCE 240 HISTORY 241 DESIGN TRADITION 242 TECHNICAL PROFILE 244 PLATES 111–137 248 3.2 THE KHAMSEH CONFEDERATION 288 THE TRIBES 289 TECHNICAL PROFILE & DESIGN TRADITION 292 PLATES 138–154 294 3.3 THE QASHQA’I 320 HISTORY 321 ECONOMY 321 RELIGION 322 Qashqa’i WOMEN 322 DESIGN TRADITION 324 TECHNICAL PROFILE 325 PLATES 155–177 326 3.4 THE LURI 362 DESIGN TRADITION 363 TECHNICAL PROFILE 366 PLATES 178–194 368 3.5 THE ‘BALUCH’ 392 THE TRIBES 393 DESIGN TRADITION 395 TECHNICAL PROFILE 396 PLATES 195–205 398 TECHNICAL DETAILS & PRIOR PUBLICATION 414 NOTES 425 BIBLIOGRAPHY 428