Oriental & Persian Rugs

The rugs that inspired empires, now woven for your home.

A Persian or Oriental rug isn't just a floor covering - it's a piece of a centuries-old weaving tradition, hand-knotted by artisans who learned the craft the same way their grandparents did. Our collection spans thousands of pieces across every major regional style, sourced directly from the weavers who made them.

Oriental vs. Persian: What's the Difference?

The terms get used interchangeably, but they're not quite the same thing. "Oriental rug" is the broader category - any hand-knotted rug from the wider Middle East, Central Asia, or South Asia weaving traditions, including Afghan, Pakistani, and Turkish pieces. "Persian rug" refers specifically to rugs woven in Iran, following design traditions tied to specific Iranian regions and cities: Kashan, Tabriz, Heriz, and others each have their own recognizable style. Every Persian rug is an Oriental rug, but not every Oriental rug is Persian.

A Tradition Older Than Most Countries

Rug weaving in this region predates recorded history in many places. The oldest known knotted-pile carpet in existence, the Pazyryk carpet, discovered in a Scythian burial mound in Siberia, dates back roughly 2,500 years, and its complexity suggests the craft was already well-established long before it was made. For centuries, rugs served a practical purpose for nomadic tribes: insulation against cold, a floor in a tent, something portable that carried a family's identity in its pattern.

Persian rug weaving was elevated further under royal patronage, particularly during the Safavid dynasty in the 16th and 17th centuries, when court workshops in cities like Tabriz, Kashan, and Isfahan produced elaborate carpets for palaces and mosques. That's the split still visible today: tribal, nomadic patterns on one side, refined city workshop traditions on the other, both still very much alive in the rugs woven now.

Choosing the Right One

A rug is one of the few things in a room that touches every part of the design, the furniture, the wall color, the light. Getting the size, material, and pattern right matters more here than almost anywhere else in your home.

For help narrowing down size and room fit, our Size Guide walks through it room by room. For a deeper look at specific design traditions, see our full Carpets from A to Z guide.

Why Shop Oriental & Persian Rugs at RugZar

• 35+ design categories and over 7,000 individual rugs, each one-of-a-kind
• Hand-knotted by artisan families we work with directly, no factory production, no middlemen
• Trusted by customers in over 70 countries worldwide
• Free shipping worldwide, with delivery in 7–9 business days

Whatever style speaks to you, the intricate detail of a fine Persian piece or the bold geometry of a tribal Oriental design, the collection is built to be browsed, not just bought.