American Sarouk Rugs

With the loss of the European market in W.W.I the market shifted to a rug called The American Sarouk . As Cecil Edwards told us in The Persian Carpet The American Sarouk had certain distinctive characteristics that made it popular: P. R. J. Ford suggests that the American Sarouk was originally produced by Mr. S. Tyriakian the Arak representative of K. S. Taushandjian of New York in the early 1920s.

11 millimeter pile (.44 inches) deep pile. This was long enough to stand up to a double alkali bleaching after which it was painted.

Knot density from 9 by 10 to 10 by 12 knots to the square inch.

Mill spun cotton warps and the second thinner weft is mill spun the straight weft was hand spun.

Rose field with floral sprays framed by a blue border.

The first European to set up a carpet business in the Sarouk area was very likely Hotz and Son. In a reference to Hotz and Ziegler Reinhard Hubel attributes the pastel shades to Ziegler which suggests that Hotz was using natural dyes.