Hand knotted rugs are the best of the best when it comes to quality. These rugs are easily identifiable by looking at the back of the rug. Hand knotted rugs will have a back that looks like a mirror image of the front. While there are many different styles of knots, these rugs usually vary between two different feels: plush and flat weave. Flat woven hand knotted rugs are very tightly knotted and are typically thin, but exceptionally durable. The plush hand knotted rugs resemble a pile height of a tufted rug, but usually is softer and more durable. These rugs have open backs, so it is very important that you put a rug pad underneath when you use these on a hard surface floor.

Weaving a hand-knotted rug requires skill and time. The quality of a hand-knotted carpet is determined by the number of knots per square inch, and a higher density means better quality. A complex pattern can require very dense knotting and it can take a long time to produce. An average weaver can tie about 10,000 knots per day. So one can imagine how long it can take to complete one rug. That accounts for hand-knotted rugs costing more.

Hand-knotted Turkish and other oriental carpets can be a great investment. If you want to buy a hand-knotted Turkish rug you have to be able to distinguish hand knotted carpets from factory carpets. There are two basic ways to tell the difference between hand-knotted Turkish carpets and factory rugs. Firstly, turn the corner of the Turkish carpet upside down to see if the rug is hand-knotted or machine made. Hand-knotted rugs will have slightly varying knot sizes as opposed to machine made carpets which are completely uniform. This is because hand-knotted Turkish carpets usually involve teams of three or four weavers working on one hand-knotted Turkish carpet together. Each weaver’s knot will differ in size slightly according to the amount of pressure they apply and tightness of the knot they tie.  The other way to distinguish a hand-knotted Turkish carpet from a factory carpet is to look at the sides of the carpet: If they are slightly irregular in shape this is an indication that the carpet is a hand-knotted Turkish or oriental carpet. Factory carpets are made on machines that provide complete regularity of shape.

Since hand knotted Persian rug making is an important business in Iran, many people are involved in various processes including the raising and sheering of sheep, vegetable dyeing, and the actual making of rugs. One generation does teach the next generation how to do things and creating amazing hand knotted Persian rugs and carpets

Over the past few decades, some other countries have copied original Persian rug designs and these countries have set up sweat-shops in industrial settings for manufactured rugs. That is an issue for other countries, however, not where authentic, hand knotted Persian rugs are made in Iran.