Handmade Modern Fil Pai rug

This Afghan rug is characterised by the ultimate fusion of a traditional pattern with a modern colour scheme. 

The design of this handmade Modern Fil Pai rug shows a classic Afghan theme of 12 gul motifs arranged in a regimented manner of columns or rows. These multicolour emblems are set against a contemporary light grey background. Contained within the gul motifs you can see a wide variety of colours: ochre yellow, greens, blues, mauve, salmon, cinnamon, brown and cream.

More about this Handmade Modern Fil Pai rug

This grey handmade rug was handmade in Afghanistan. 

In bygone days Afghan rugs and carpets were rather conservative. They were famous for their red and black colours and repeating patterned field designs. Designs such as Bokhara and Fil Pai were among the most popular patterns.

The Fil Pai design relates to the shape of the gul, or flower motif. The Fil-Pai gul is a large octagonal shaped emblem commonly associated with Ersari carpets and Afghan Aqcha carpets. Because of the shape of this motif, sometimes it might be referred to as the elephant's foot design. 

Traditionally, the Fil-Pai field design would be surrounded by a multitude of borders. In the old days, it was very much the case the more the better (i.e. the higher the quality). However to cater to modern tastes, rug design in recent times has evolved into simplifying designs and creating more spacious themes. In this piece we can see along with the soft, pale nuanced colours the design is expansive and the border pattern is almost non-existent. 

What this Afghan rug is made from

The modernisation of this rug stops there. It was made from tried and trusted natural fibres: sheep wool and cotton. 

It has a woollen pile, which has been clipped relatively short to approximately 6mm. Despite it's light colour, the Afghan wool that it is made from is durable and long-lasting. 

The cotton is the foundation fibre of the rug. These are known as the warp threads and they constitute the integral part of the weave. They are attached to the loom before the rug weaving begins. These long strings of cotton stretch from the top of the loom to the bottom. Did you realise that you can see these warp threads on this rug? This is because when the rug is finished, the warp threads poke out of both ends as the rug's fringes. 

More about how this Fil-Pai rug was made

Whilst the colours of this Afghan rug may be very different from the red and black Fil-Pai rugs of yesteryear, the rug weaving methods have barely changed. 

This Afghan rug was made by hand-knotting the wool pile. This way of carpet weaving takes ages, but the quality of the completed weave justifies the investment of time. The reason that hand-knotting is so time-consuming is that each tuft of pile is created from a knot. Hence the term "hand-knotting". The weavers tie the knots in rows from one side to the other. Next, weft threads are woven between the warps and these wefts are compacted closely against the row of knots. Row-by-row: the rug forms. The combination of all of the different coloured knots (which were meticulously knotted in the correct sequence) unite to make the colours and design of the rug. 

It's incredible to think that this rug contains almost half a million knots! 

Key details: 

• Country of origin: Afghanistan
• Size: 207×150cm / 6’10″x4’11″
• Thickness: 6mm
• Pile: Wool, hand-knotted
• Warp: Cotton
• Age: New