This very unusual and archaic fragment must fall into the Kurdish realm somewhere, probably Southern or possibly beyond the “borders” of Kurdistan proper. Perhaps it is from somewhere west of Hamadan (one of the most ancient cities in Persia and Xerxes's capital) as the minor meandering floral border on an intense yellow ground may suggest. But it is single and double wefted (brown) so it's not strictly what we would call Hamadan.

It has intense saturated colours, 11 in all, and the rustic nature of the weave as best seen on the back, and ‎the remarkable design point to it being a very old thing. Conventional wisdom would not dare date it earlier than the early19th century but my hunch is that it could be quite a lot older than that.

The design and iconography of the rug is astonishing because the only thing I can easily relate it to is the bird rugs of the medieval period. I am thinking primarily of the two 14th/15th century Bird Rugs in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin.

The idea of a central column with columns of affronting birds on either side of it is a very old and iconic idea. The drawing and scale of the birds while less integrated than those on medieval rugs still retain their essential elements and character. I am particularly struck by the turned-backward heads of the avians which is a feature almost only ever found on very early rugs and textiles. Furthermore, while there are all sorts of quadruped and avian forms to be found on a wide array of NW Persian weaving (pile and sumakh) I have never seen any examples which relate so closely to the medieval archetypes as they do on this fragment and none with turned-backward heads.

A most interesting and remarkable piece which has somehow retained the iconic spirit and design characteristics of rugs of a much earlier period