Luri

The Luri tribe who occupy scattered geographic pockets along the western territories of Persia, from Fars in the south up to the Kurdish regions of the North West, are the most ancient of the nomadic tribes of the country which are of purely Persian, as opposed to Turkic, descent. Their glorious cultural heritage is evidenced by the superb Luristan bronzes dating from the 10th Century, and they have been renowned as makers of rugs far longer than any known surviving examples of their craft exist. Stylistically, as is demonstrated in this fine specimen, the Luri kelim designs are related both to those of the Qashqaí and other nomadic peoples of Fars and to the Kurdish styles of the Hamadan and Bidjar areas, yet they maintain a unique repertoire of minor ornaments, and the palette of the Luri master dyers is wholly distinctive, with a notable richness and emphasis on the darker shades, giving their works a warmth and depth greatly admired among the cognoscenti. Woven in the age-old and unchanging structure which identifies weavings of the tribe, and which has influenced the technique of other tribal groups, most notably the Kurds, this is a distinguished specimen of Luristan craft and decorative imagination, wholly in the classic tradition of this unique and fascinating group.