Handmade tribal-style Loribaft carpet

Add a touch of tribal pizazz to your room with this handmade tribal-style Loribaft carpet. This Afghan carpet is loaded with ethnic charm.

We love the whimsical theme of a linked pictorial collage of squares containing enchanting motifs of trees, Cypress trees, goats, camels and humanoid emblems set against against a deep navy blue background. This salon-style arrangement really pops against the dark backdrop. The visual impact does not stop there: it features multicolour side borders containing plant and animal motifs and these side borders feather-edge into the navy field. Look closely and you'll also see a charming landscape scene at each end of the rug.

Added to the endearing design are a variety of punchy colours. These colours really zing against the deep navy main colour. You will find an impressive array of shades including orange, tan, turquoise, teal green, purple and light blue. 

Discover more about this Handmade tribal-style Loribaft carpet

This navy Loribaft carpet was handmade in Afghanistan. In addition to it's individual eye-catching pattern, it is an unusual size - a narrow proportion relative to it's length. It measures 278x159cm which works out to approximately 9'2x5'3. 

The design of this tribal-style Afghan carpet draws inspiration from a type of finely woven Persian Gabbeh rug known as "Loribaft". This name comes from "Lori" which is a Persian nomadic tribe and "baft" which is a Persian word meaning woven. 

Find out what this Afghan tribal design carpet is made from

This charming 9x5 Afghan Loribaft carpet is made from traditional rug making materials of wool and cotton. 

The visual impact of this Afghan carpet is the woollen pile. Afghan wool is ideal for carpet making because of it's durability. The wool pile on this piece is a closely clipped short pile, which serves to accentuate the definition of it's appealing, quirky pattern. 

The cotton part of this rug is the foundation material. Cotton is seldom used as a pile fibre, but makes for excellent warp threads. These are the first yarns to be attached to the loom, and are they are the threads that the knots are tied onto.

How was this Afghan carpet handmade?

This navy blue Loribaft carpet was made by utilising age-old carpet weaving techniques. The wool pile of this handmade carpet was created by a process called hand-knotting. 

On a hand-knotted rug, each tuft of pile is made from a hand-tied knot which is secured onto pairs of warp threads. The weaving process involves tying the knots in rows across the width of the loom. The weavers then weave weft threads between the warps before the next line of knots can be woven. An Afghan carpet like this will have many rows of knots. All of the knots combine to make the design and pattern of the rug. 

Using this 9x5 handmade carpet at home

This charming Afghan carpet is suitable for use in all sorts of places around your home. It's enchanting design makes it an appealing choice for use in a living room, where you'll enjoy looking at it for hours on end. It's made from hard-wearing natural materials so it will provide plenty of pleasure underfoot.  

Key details: 

• Country of origin: Afghanistan
• Size: 278×159cm / 9’2″x5’3″
• Thickness: 7mm
• Pile: Wool, hand-knotted
• Warp: Cotton
• Age: New
• Condition note: There is a small area of colour-run from the green and turquoise shade into the beige colour - please refer to the final image.