Not all Gabbeh Oriental carpets are created equal. In the past few years Gabbeh carpets have become popular especially in Europe and the United States. We now see less expensive copies being woven in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Many people think they are buying a Gabbeh when in fact they are buying a Gabbeh inspired carpet. These carpets have a commercial quality, they lack the proper wool, dyes, and artistic expression.

The finest quality Gabbehs continue to be woven in Southern Iran. Our entire collection is individually selected for color, scale and artistic merit. Each carpet is woven with hand-spun Persian wool and dyed with traditional vegetable dyes. The beautiful colors found in our Gabbehs originate from sources including pomegranite skin, madder root, indigo, straw, walnut husks, and cochineal.

The photos on this page were taken on a recent trip to Iran. I visited remote villages and met many weavers, dyers, and wool spinners along the way. Each Gabbeh carpet is woven in a private home, so that a family will have a loom set up in their yard with a small shelter protecting them from the sun. The weaver is given a simple sketch of a design and then encouraged to be creative and spontaneous. Lines are never straight, pattern is asymmetric and signatures are common.

Our collection of Gabbeh Oriental carpets is always changing. If you have a special request, please e-mail us the size and colors you are looking for and within a day or two we will e-mail you photos of Gabbehs currently in stock. You can also phone us at our gallery in Seattle at (206) 292-1115. Our policy includes free shipping and home trial.