The town of Sarouk is located about 25 miles north of Arak, but from the standpoint of carpet design there is not the slightest resemblance. Furthermore, Sarouk rugs do not generally come from the town of Sarouk, but from a very large region centered on the old provincial Capital, Arak (previously called Sulatanabad). When western importers began organizing the manufacture of rugs, during the late 19th century, they found out that the Sarouk villages produced rugs of exceptional quality goods wherever in the region they were made and these rugs were called Lavers. The name “Sarouk” is also used for denoting the finest-quality rugs woven in the Arak area. There are many different types and qualities of Sarouk. The design most associated with Sarouk rugs is that of detached floral sprays on a rose red background. Rugs of this type became popular in the United States in the 1920s and are still known in the trade as “American Sarouk”. The thousands of Sarouk woven that were produced for the North American market after World War I had a central floral bouquet with a field containing vases, palette, and detached floral sprays. The main border had the Herati border pattern on a dark-blue back-ground. These Sarouk have a velvety, lustrous pile and they range in size from small mats to gallery size. During the 1920s and ‘30s the majority of American Sarouk were washed and painted after their arrival in New York. Late 19th century Sarouk have more angular patterns than their later counterparts. An oversized blue or cream medallion on a dark blue background was used, the medallion often elegantly outlined. The primary colors are brick red, natural white, and dark blue, pink and green are used in the motifs. Currently, Sarouk rugs are woven in a variety of designs, both floral and geometric, and in a wide range of color combinations

Handmade Persian Rugs, Hand Knotted Oriental Rugs, Wool Area Rugs Hand-knotted Oriental rugs are pieces of art not just accessories for your home. Throughout history, these handmade rugs have been the object of fascination, desire, and status. CatalinaRug.com's mission is to help bring this rich cultural legacy to your home - at a affordable price! Browse our history of area rugs to learn all about the history of Oriental rugs and the weaving methods used to create them. Evidence suggests that thousands of years ago, nomadic tribesmen between Eurasia and Mongolia were the first to create pile carpets. These carpets were woven to add warmth and comfort to their simple tent homes. As more and more tribes mastered the technique of weaving pile rugs, it became a common practice to incorporated their creativity into the designs transforming a trade skill into works of art. Area rugs became not just a functional neccessity in thier tent homes but a symbol of taste and refinement by adding personality and beauty to their sparse surroundings. Today's rug designs are more sophisticated, but they serve much the same purpose, lending beauty, warmth and personality to enhance a home. When considering a rug for your home, there are a number of reasons why you might decide upon hand knotted Oriental rugs or handmade Persian rugs instead of machine-made ones. Quality is the most important consideration. Handmade rugs are much more durable than mass-produced machine made rugs. Handmade rugs are usually made with natural materials such as cotton, wool or silk. These natural fibers last longer and release no harmful gasses into the environment over time. And since each rug is hand-knotted, each strand has been tied individually for greater combined strength and consistency