Since the beginning of time, man has found inspiration, consolation and guidance through symbols. Oriental rugs contain a wealth of symbols, expressing the culture and beliefs of the people who wove them. Although the range of symbols focus on aspects of daily life and the resources needed for survival, they are also filled with elements signifying worship and spiritual devotion. We find these symbols in rugs from Islamic, Christian, Buddhist and Hindu weaving cultures. All of them speak of human values, surrender and faith.

From antiquity, people’s deep spiritual connection to nature and high level of dependency on natural cycles, were expressed through symbols and incorporated into rug weaving motifs. We can find symbols for the sun, the moon, hunting scenes and gardens, all expressing reverence and gratitude for what nature has to offer. Through symbols, deities were honored and prayed to for rain, a bountiful harvest and happiness of family.

A Persian carpet—like a song—has a rhythm, cadence, and tone. Just like there is no one way to sing a song, there is no right way to see a carpet. The person who made the rug might have observed things in nature or their imagination or surroundings that she or he then conveys in the rug's design. Often we do not know the intent behind some of the designs because we do not know who the rug-make is and, therefore, we are left to enjoy and interpret it ourselves.

If you have a Persian rug in your house, then every day you unwittingly walk over an ancient series of elaborate secret symbols whose colorful and intricacies hide a wealth of information.

No two Persian rugs are ever the same. Despite the fact the some of the patterns may have been copied for centuries, the makers weave in a deliberate mistake so that the pattern is never perfect; this is an acknowledgment that only Allah is perfect.

The rugs divide themselves into three general categories; those with curving floral patterns, pictorial designs  and those with a more geometric design. Some of the inspirations for these patterns include the architecture of mosques, flowers, trees and other vegetation, animals, spirals, and the curious paisley design.  Some patterns were drawn by the original designer without his hand ever leaving the page.

Geometric Designs

All the carpets in this group are decorated with repeated linear elements of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines, usually woven by nomadic tribes using particular traditional and cultural symbols. Most of the elements are symbols of something special or sacred, cherished by that tribe for hundreds of generations.

Because they're made by hand in the most primal conditions, tribal pieces usually don't have full symmetry or color consistency, thus giving them a 'primal' quality.

Some cities and villages that weave beautiful geometric rugs include Heriz, Hamadan, and Shiraz.

Curvilinear and Floral Designs

Most elements in Persian rugs have great meaning and reflect their close affinity with nature. That's why nature in some form whether in small plants and flowers or delicate animals can be seen in almost all carpets.

In most Persian rugs, the most common motif is the central medallion, and even though two may look similar, no two medallions are completely identical. Some experts believe that the medallion design stems from the spiritual nature of the weavers and that their inspiration probably came from the domes of the Mosques.

When discussing fine Persian rug patterns, it helps to be familiar with the Safavid Dynasty in Iran, especially the era when the Great Shah Abbas was king. He is the one that springs to mind as the inspiration for various patterns, all of which feature the lily in an isolated central position linked only by delicate tendrils.

Often, you will see a rug classified as a Shah Abbasi design. Shah Abbas was responsible for a large portion of the Persian rug industry by setting up royal rug factories all over Iran and making Isfahan the country's capital.

Today, a Shah Abbasi is among the finest Persian rugs available.

The Herati pattern -- a central diamond shaped figure forming the medallion while also a border to another similar medallion, which is another border to another inner medallion -- is found in rugs from around Iran, although almost all rug producing countries have made this design one time or the other.

It is probably one of the most famous designs, deriving from the town of Herat, now in Afghanistan but once part of the Persian Empire.

Pictorial Designs

Perhaps the rarest of Persian rug styles is the pictorial design.

This type of pattern doesn't follow a standard outline and each rug is unique in its details.

The weaving of a pictorial rug demands much more skill from the weaver. They must be great artists because unlike curves, circles, or repetitive floral elements, it is more difficult to weave details and smaller elements that require great accuracy.

This style of weaving was initiated in Iran several hundred years ago when artists and poets wanted to express themselves by means other than paper.

It is important to understand how proud the Persians were of their history and culture. Seeing how weaving has always been a big part of the artistic expression of Persian culture, the two were combined to preserve a moment of their history in a beautiful rug.

The Iran Carpet Company, a specialist in the subject, has attempted to classify Persian carpet designs and has carried out studies of thousands of rugs. Their results show that there have been slight alterations and improvements to almost all original designs.

In its classification the company has called the original designs as the 'main pattern' and the derivatives as the 'sub patterns'. They have identified 19 groups, including: historic monuments and Islamic buildings, Shah Abbassi patterns, spiral patterns, all-over patterns, derivative patterns, interconnected patterns, paisley patterns, tree patterns, Turkoman patterns, hunting ground patterns, panel patterns, European flower patterns, vase patterns, intertwined fish patterns, Mehrab patterns, striped patterns, geometric patterns, tribal patterns, and composites.

The patterns of the rugs also tell of their provenance and the tribes that designed them, each tribe having its own unique patterns. Some of the hidden patterns within Persian rugs have specific meanings. These include:

• Camel - wealth, prosperity
• Cypress Tree - strength, endurance
• Tree of Life - eternity--path from earth to heaven
• Chicken, Rooster - dawn of a new day, fresh start, sexual prowess
• Bird - paradise, faith
• Star - spirituality, good luck
• Carnation - happiness
• Pomegranate - abundance, fertility
• Paisley design - flame, universe
• Jug - purification

And it's not limited to just the pictorial representations used in the rug- certain colors in certain contexts can represent things, as well.

Reds, while the most popular color chosen for antique Persian rugs, can also stand for courage, or beauty. This likely stems from human physiological responses to danger (flushing red) and flirting (also flushing red.)

Persian carpets with blue in them invariably demonstrate power, likely because only those in high places could afford the expensive materials used to make blue dyes back in the day.  Golds also tend to signal wealth, simply because faux-gold techniques weren't developed in the old days- you had to actually weave gold filament into the carpet to achieve that shine.

Whites in Persian rugs tend to represent either purity, or death, depending on the context. In a bed of diamonds, pomegranates, and other red shapes, it most likely means purity or virginal qualities. In other cases, it can be the funeral color.

Greens are hardly ever used in Persian rugs, especially in post Muslim times, because green is thought of as the holy color of Mohammed, the prophet of Islam.