Tribal rugs were traditionally woven by the women of nomadic tribes for their own personal use. Rug weaving to them was not so much an occupation, but rather an integral and essential part of their lives. Antique tribal rugs are generally small in size since the nomads were always on the move with their small, collapsible looms. Tribal rugs are, for the most part, comprised of 100% wool from their own flocks and have more limited color palettes since the tribes used natural dyes that where available to them. Motifs often include what the tribes people saw around them: animals, vegetation, and landscape.

 

Styles include: Oushak, Kilim, Serapi, Heriz, Kazak, Khotan, Turkman, Bokhara, Afghani, Sumak, Kuba, Moroccan, Bakshaish, Bakhtiari,