Home > Carpet Making > Oriental Rugs Glossary

Daghestan: NE Caucasus fine bluish rugs.

Daoulatabad: NW Afghan collecting centre of carpets esp. the wazirate large type.

Density: The measure by which the quality of the rug's construction is judged. Determined by two factors: number of knots and the height of the pile in a given area.

Dezlyk: Shaped weavings somewhat similar to kapunuks (see above) but smaller and often with an extra rectangular flap at the base of the cross-bar'. Used as decoration for the camel's breast. Khalyk is the word favoured by Western writers, modern Soviet researchers preferring dezlyk (or dezlik).

Dhurrie rugs: A flatwoven rug from India, usually made of cotton or wool.

Diyarbakir: Kurdish rug collecting centre in East Anatolia.

Directional Rug: Any rug having a design which is intended to be viewed from one particular view point. A prayer rug or a pictorial rug are good examples of such.

Doruksh: Jufti knotted Qainat carpets in the floral city style.

Doshemealti: Red and blue postwar good Anatolian commercial rugs popular with tourists.

Dozar: A Persian name used to describe approximately a 4.6 x 6.6 size carpet.

Dobag: The Turkish "Natural Dye Research and Development Project" which began in 1981. It's main objective was to teach Turkish weavers the art of using natural dyes after years of using only chemical colors in carpet production.

Donegal: An Irish factory for rug production which was established in 1858.

Doroksh: A town in northeast Iran noted for producing rugs with floral motifs and medallions. Older rugs have wool foundations while newer ones have cotton. The jufti knot is mostly used.

Double Prayer Rug: A prayer rug which has two opposing niches or mihrabs opposing one another.

Dragon and Phoenix : Together these two motifs represent happiness and good fortune in Chinese rugs. The dragon represents the emperor and symbolizes the powers of the universe and nature. The phoenix represents the empress and the five cardinal virtues.

Dragon rugs : A group of 16th-18th century Caucasian rugs decorated with large S shaped dragons throughout the field. They are rare and are very sought after by collectors.

Drugget: This non-pile type of rug comes from India and the Balkans and is usually of goat hair, cotton and jute.

Dry rot: After many years the rug becomes dry and brittle, or liquids or moisture on a rug for an extended time can cause the rug to become dry rot.