Moud-Birdjand, East Persia
The moud rug has its name from the city of moud, which is situated south of Mashhad and Birdjand. The latter is an old historic town well known for being home to many highly educated and traditional Persian people, who in the last centuries were not invaded by Arabs, Afghans or Mongolians. The carpets from Moud often have a Herati pattern , with or without a centrally placed medallion. They come in two main popular patters called Mahi (fish) or the garden design which is also seen in Bidjar, Tabriz and Sarough rugs crafted in West Persia . The first one mentioned, Mahi, often has a beige colour with a light red or blue nuance and a star shaped medallion. The other, Garden, reminds one about Bakhtiari carpets, illustrated with a curvilinear garden motif.
The weavers use double wefts and the workmanship is very often of high quality. In both types of patterns, silk is used to bring out the luster in the pile. Other carpets similar to the moud are Birjand and Kashmar.