Heriz

Style of textile, particularly carpets, handmade in any of a group of villages near the town of Heriz, lying east of Tabriz in northwest Iran. Heriz carpets are often room-sized, stout, serviceable, and attractive to markets in Europe and the United States. They are apparently an offshoot of the Tabriz carpets, a country version of city styles. The smooth curves and flowing lines of a sophisticated Tabriz medallion system are translated into hard, geometric angles and broken contours. Repeat patterns occur less frequently, and a jagged vine and rosette border is characteristic.