Gabbeh Area Rugs: Tribal Roots, Modern Style

Arsh's Rug Library · Rug Styles

Modern color-block rug with a striped border in a bright, airy living room — Shown: Eclectic Jenee, 5'1" x 6'5"

A Gabbeh is a thick, simply patterned rug that started as a practical rug for nomadic families and now reads as modern art for the floor.

Where Gabbeh rugs come from

Gabbeh rugs began with the nomadic Qashqai and Luri tribes of southwest Iran. Weavers made them for their own tents, often without a drawn design, so the patterns are free and personal: a few blocks of color, a small animal, a simple tree or a single figure. The word gabbeh is often explained as meaning raw or natural.

How to recognize a Gabbeh

A thick, long pile that feels heavy and soft.
Large open fields of color with few motifs.
Simple, playful shapes: blocks, stripes, small animals and trees.
Visible abrash: shifts in shade across the field from hand-spun wool.

Beige and rust modern rug in a living room — Open fields of color and a thick, hand-spun wool pile.

Close-up of thick wool pile and color shifts — Open fields of color and a thick, hand-spun wool pile.

Our Gabbeh rugs

The rugs in our Gabbeh collection are hand-knotted in Pakistan in the Gabbeh tradition, with simple, modern designs. Each one is one of a kind.

Where a Gabbeh works best

Gabbeh rugs suit modern, eclectic, bohemian and Scandinavian rooms. Their thick pile is cozy in bedrooms and family rooms, and a bold Gabbeh can stand in for a piece of art on a large floor. Keep the furniture simple and let the rug's color lead.