This rug, too, is mentioned in the article, Outback Afshars.  Some have questioned whether it belongs to this group, as the structure is somewhat different, ie. there is no animal hair present in the warps (these are all cotton), but the layout of design suggests a relationship with the Afshars.  The central field pattern is used by the Afshars, in bags as well as rugs and is not used by other weaving groups of Persia.  The appearance of elements related to the “Herati” pattern are also not unexpectedly seen given the provenance assigned to this rug (NE Persia/Khorassan) and its age.

And it is the palette which places this rug firmly within the Khorassan group of rugs.  Similar examples have appeared over the years, but none with the complexity of design seen here.  The first one I ever noticed was featured in the JP Homer catalogue of Baluch rugs, while others have assigned this type to a the Ferdowz region of Khorassan. 

But a close examination of the designs seen in these other examples reveals a simpler, more static quality of patterning which may be a later version of this type of design.  The design of the Homer example, along with the few similarly patterned weavings I’ve seen in the market are more readily related to the ‘mina khani’ pattern than to the one seen here.  The borders of the other examples, too, lack the grace and diversity of this example.

The use of the dots of color sporadically placed on the blue field, too, is an old feature and unseen in analogous examples.   More commonly seen in older rugs from the Beshire (middle Amu Darya) region of Central Asia, it is extremely unusual to find this detailing in rugs from Persia or elsewhere.   It is said the Afshars are ‘cousins’ of the Ersari, and upon seeing the detailing of this rug, it is easy enough to understand.

The condition is not without some issues.  There is a certain brittle quality to areas of the rug that are seemingly NOT due to water damage, but rather disintegration of the cotton foundation over time. There are a few small repairs.  Obviously, the colors are all derived from natural dyes.  The knotting of this rug is asymmetric, open to the right.