Persian carpet Guchan / Persian carpet Guchan

This area in northeastern Iran, bordering Afghanistan and Central Asia, is home to the Baluchi, Turkmen, and also the Kurds. These Kurds were displaced from their homeland in the Caucasus and Kurdistan in the sixteenth century, when the Ottoman Turks ruled. They were settled there to defend the Persian region from the rampaging Uzbeks of Central Asia.

The Kurds make large brocade kilims in dark red and blue, and beautifully decorated bags. It is often difficult to distinguish their masterpieces from the carpets of neighboring peoples. Many Turkmen from the Khorasan region are members of the Tekke and Yomut peoples, who emigrated from what was then Russia in the nineteenth century. Their kilims are recognizable by their dark red color with characteristic stylized flower motifs. They also make large bags and door curtains.

The Khorasan region is also home to Baloch groups who arrived in the 11th and 12th centuries before the Turkish invasions. The Baloch who settled in the border region of Iran with Afghanistan are known as Rukhshani and make kilims that are considered Baloch kilims.