Sarouc, Central Persia
The Sarouc (also Saruk) is a hand-knotted oriental carpet from West-Persia with about 250’000 knots per m2. The Sarouc is knotted with shiny sheep’s wool and the warp is made of cotton. The design is characterised by Persian patterns with a central medallion and a frame, which are mostly blue, ivory and copper colored. The shiny wool gives the carpet a luxurious, shimmering touch.
The Sarouc became very popular at the beginning of the 20th century, especially in wealthy American households, for whom the carpets were even knotted according to contemporary taste. To meet the growing demand for Sarouc in the 20th century, the Anglo-Swiss company Ziegler & co. opened branches in Tabriz and Sultanabad, Iran in 1878 and 1883, respectively, to accelerate the production and export of carpets. Ziegler & co. also changed the design of the Sarouc considerably in order to take into account the furnishings of the western world. This also gave rise to the term “Ziegler carpets”, which is used for the modified Sarouc carpets. Due to high quality materials used in producing these rugs, they are still in good condition which makes them desirable with designers and people in the furnishing business.