10'3" x 13' Persian Sarouk Mahal Rug | Ivory Floral Medallion on Brick Red Field | 1970s

This is a full room-size Persian Sarouk Mahal rug from the 1970's, hand-knotted in wool on a cotton foundation and still carrying a clean, even 3/8" pile across all 10'3" x 13'. The drawing is the classic west Persian formula done properly: a brick red field packed edge to edge with curling vine, an ivory lobed medallion set dead center, and an ivory main border deep enough to frame the whole piece. Rugs in the 10x13 Persian rug range are the hardest honest ones to find in this condition, because they were used hard once they reached the West. This one reads excellent, with intact selvedges and full pile across the corners, and it ships with a certificate of authenticity.

Design and Motifs

The center holds an 8 lobed ivory medallion with a navy star rosette at its heart, ringed by small cream and rose blossoms and a fine burgundy outline that keeps the shape crisp against the red. From there the field never rests: thin sky blue vines loop in every direction, carrying serrated palmettes, split leaves, 6 petal rosettes and small cypress-like sprays in navy, cream and salmon. The 4 corners are anchored by large indigo cloud-band spandrels, drawn heavier than the field motifs so the eye reads the medallion and corners as one connected layout. The main border is ivory, filled with alternating navy palmettes and hooked vine, and it is fenced by narrow guard stripes of red and dark blue on both sides. A plain red outer edge finishes it. The drawing is village curvilinear, slightly softened rather than mathematically exact, which is exactly what separates a Mahal-style Sarouk from a city workshop copy.

Brick Red, Ivory and Indigo

The field is a warm brick red leaning slightly toward tomato, the kind of red that photographs bright and settles into something deeper under lamplight. Against it, the ivory of the medallion and border is a soft oatmeal cream rather than a bleached white, so the contrast is strong without being harsh. The blues do the heavy lifting in between: a dark indigo in the corner spandrels, border palmettes and medallion center, and a lighter dusty sky blue used for the vine tracery and for the small leaf forms scattered through the field. Accent notes come in salmon and pale peach on the flower heads, with tan and near-black outlines giving each motif its edge. The reverse, visible in the fold photo, shows the same red and indigo palette running true through the knot with no synthetic glare. It is a red rug that sits comfortably with mahogany, walnut, dark leather and cream plaster walls.

Sarouk and Mahal Weaving in Western Persia

Sarouk and Mahal rugs both come out of the Arak district in western Persia, historically the Sultanabad weaving area, and the two names describe grades of the same regional tradition more than separate villages. Sarouk work is the finer, tighter end, drawn with curved vine and a defined medallion; Mahal is the bolder, room-size village end, woven on strong cotton warps with a generous wool pile meant to survive generations of furniture. This piece sits where the two meet: Sarouk drawing at Mahal scale, with a firm handle, straight sides and a dense back. The wool is local highland fleece, greasy enough to hold dye and take a sheen as it wears, which is why 1970's examples from this region still look right 50 years on. If you want to understand how weave, dye and wear together place a rug in a decade, our guide on how to date an Oriental rug covers the same signals we used here.