Description
Serapi is a trade name given to better quality versions of Heriz rugs thought to have been woven before 1900. Heriz is a city located in northwestern Iran and near the city of Tabriz, and Heriz rugs are very famous worldwide. They have their own very unique style and are easily distinguishable. Although the design of this rug originated in Heriz, this particular rug was re-created by village weavers in the Bhadohi region of India. Village weavers do the entire process of shearing, washing, dyeing and weaving of the rugs. They clean, wash and dye the wool with pure vegetable dyes, and then weave the rug. Those vegetable dyes most commonly used are madder, the root of a spindly bush which grows abundantly in many carpet-producing area which is used to create a red color. Walnut peel is used for dark brown, pomegranate peel for light brown, and sparak which is a wild flower from the steppes, used for yellow.
Herat Oriental works with over 2,000 village weavers to create beautiful, authentic, handmade rugs. The majority of the weavers are women, who live in the villages of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. As we grow, we are able to create more jobs for female weavers who otherwise would not have the opportunity to do so. The community also thrives from rug weaving as the local farmers benefit from wool sales, and the local artisans create natural and vegetable dyes for the weavers to use in their designs. Due to the handmade nature of our rugs, the size may vary from as advertised by 3-4 inches. Regular vacuuming and annual professional cleaning will keep your rug looking new for years to come.
