Antique Senneh rugs were woven by Kurdish tribal weavers, who led a life of nomadism and rug-weaving for millennia. Kurdish tribes finally established roots in a long valley within the soaring Zagros Mountains of Northwest Persia in the 12th century. Over time, encampments gave way to villages throughout the area, and the Kurdistan Province, covering almost 29,000 square kilometers, was born. In time, the town of Senneh became the capital of the region and the epicenter of an incredibly fine subgroup of hand-knotted carpets, the best 19th-century examples still of immense interest to collectors worldwide. 

Notable for a distinctive, single-weft construction, Senneh rugs have for centuries been lauded for their uber-fine weave made possible by this type of foundation. In Oriental rugs, one finds Senneh rugs, still available from the early 18th century to 1850, straddle the question of where art ends and craft begins seamlessly. 

The Senneh style’s most widely known and much-loved designs offer fields of staggeringly intricate subtlety. Three traditional patterns are of a singular motif repeated tile-like, rows of the floral-filled boteh floating on a similarly botanic bed, or a dense repetition of blossoms and leaves stretching to the borders. In each case, it is the amount of dazzling detail that leaves the viewer speechless. The Senneh colors that saturate Kurdish soft, lanolin-rich wool, are enrapturing. Tones of yellow and gold, Kurdish favorites, used abundantly, comingle with vermillion, scarlet, apple and fern greens, salmon and cerulean, all glowing from tiny knots. Part of the unique ambiance of the Senneh technique, is the particularly low contrast between colors, so that nothing is prominent, just a blanketing of splendor so beatific it is startling to take in. 

A lesser-known group of Senneh rugs from the same period offers a quite different design direction, featuring medallions floating on empty or sparsely decorated fields and clearly influenced by the weavers’ tribal nature. These carpets convey an endearing innocence, heightened by their exquisite weave, which renders the drawing particularly delicate. The finest examples of this secondary Senneh style are scarce and coveted by collectors. 

Occasionally, Senneh silk-wefted and silk-pile rugs were produced, which attracted Persian royalty and gentry because of the increased shimmer and lofty character of these pieces.  

Senneh is also home to a distinctive flatweave “kilim” rug featuring a densely ornamented, curvilinear design that stands in sharp contrast to the boldly angular geometric patterns displayed in the kilims of nomadic tribes throughout the Near East. Until the Commercial Period, which began at the turn of the 20th century, this diverse weaving tradition remained vibrant and today enjoys a position of high regard among connoisseurs and collectors alike.

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