A History of Tufted Rugs

Prototype. Chapter text drafted from the research notes and not yet checked at the archives. Images awaiting permission are marked.

Knot types: symmetric (Turkish/Ghiordes) and asymmetric (Persian/Senneh)
Illustration, not the item itself: Pazyryk carpet, 4th century BCE

Knot types: symmetric (Turkish/Ghiordes) and asymmetric (Persian/Senneh)

Research finding · not yet checked at the source · Image permission pending

Date
symmetric knot attested from 5th–4th century BCE (Pazyryk)
Place
Anatolia, Caucasus, Iran, Central Asia
Materials
wool, silk, cotton
Themes
Rug-making techniques, Woven carpet
View at the source Cited in chapter 1, note 4

Cite this source

“Knot types: symmetric (Turkish/Ghiordes) and asymmetric (Persian/Senneh).” Research note. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knotted-pile_carpet.

Research notes

How they work: the symmetric knot passes round two neighbouring warps and brings both ends up between them. The asymmetric knot wraps fully round one warp and only partly round the next, with one end coming up on each side, and can open to the left or right. Sources say the asymmetric knot allows finer, more curving designs, and the symmetric knot is very secure (Wikipedia; woven.is; Nazmiyal). Naming caveat: the geographic names are misleading. Wikipedia notes that symmetric knots are tied in the town of Senneh itself, and Iranian and non-Iranian weavers use both knots. Earliest evidence: Wikipedia says the Ghiordes (symmetric) knot is the one found in the Pazyryk fragments. For single-warp and Tibetan knots see process-knotted-spanish-knot and process-knotted-tibetan. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knotted-pile_carpet · https://www.woven.is/blog/persian-knot-vs-turkish-knot.htm · https://nazmiyalantiquerugs.com/resources/guide/rug-making/types-of-knots/ Research note (Oct 2026): from search results; pages not opened.