A 2026 Guide by Sellingantiques
Antique Qashqai Kilim 2.30m X 1.59m, 1920
Priced at £850 from Rug Addiction
Nomadic confederations across the Fars province originally wove these textiles for daily use in their own tents.
Commercial village production began replacing nomadic weaving late in the nineteenth century.
Shiraz acted as the central market town. Weavers brought their surplus antique Qashqai rugs here to trade for goods they couldn't weave themselves.
Several distinct sub-tribes form the wider confederation. The Kashkuli, Shekarlu, and Amaleh groups operated as the most prominent weaving camps, producing rugs with distinct regional characteristics.
Individual nomadic women didn't sign their work. Pieces are identified by sub-tribe patterns rather than a named individual maker.
Kashkuli weavers produced tight knots and detailed floral elements not found in other regional examples.
Expect slightly looser weaves from the Shekarlu tribe. They favoured brilliant natural dyes and energetic border designs across their antique Qashqai rugs.
Antique Qashqai Rug 2.62m X 1.57m, 1910
Priced at £2,400 from Rug Addiction
The 2026 retail price guide for Antique Qashqai Rugs is drawn from a proprietary archive of over 1.1 million retail prices indexed by Sellingantiques since 2003. This guide relies exclusively on their own internal data; no external sources or auction records are used.
Analysing nearly 25 years of UK antique market history alongside current retail values, the data indicates that typical UK retail prices for Antique Qashqai Rugs range between £1,000 and £6,000. Entry-level prices generally fall under £1,000 and premium examples upwards of £6,000.
Central diamond medallions usually dominate the field. These frequently line up in a strict vertical row.
Scattered throughout the background you will spot small geometric birds and eight-pointed stars.
Barber-pole edges run along the sides of many pieces. Weavers created these by twisting two contrasting yarns together before binding the borders.
Horizontal ground looms allowed the women to pack up and move camp quickly without cutting the unfinished rug from the frame.
Uneven tension in the weave causes the finished piece to sit slightly out of square.
Hand-spun yarn absorbs natural dyes differently. This creates subtle horizontal bands of changing colour called abrash across the pile.
"Many small animal motifs woven into the borders represent the specific flocks and guard dogs belonging to the weaver's camp."
"Turn the rug over. The bright yarns on the reverse show the vivid shades similar to how they looked the day the piece came off the loom."
"Weavers memorised complex geometric layouts without ever consulting a drawn paper pattern during the weaving process."
Based on almost 25 years of Sellingantiques UK antique market data, Antique Qashqai Rugs appeared 435 times (out of 1,100,000 antiques) which gives it a rarity score of 92/100.
This score measures scarcity within the Sellingantiques archive only and is not a survey of the entire antiques market, so these statistics may not be indicative of the general availability of Antique Qashqai Rugs elsewhere.
Vacuum both sides on a low suction setting to remove loose dust. Avoid using modern carpet shampoo or heavy chemical foams.
Take it to a specialist hand-washer every few years. They flush the wool with cold water to protect the natural dyes.
Weavers dyed their wool in small batches. When one batch ran out, the next lot didn't match.
This creates horizontal bands of shifting colour called abrash. It is a standard feature of nomadic weaving.
High traffic areas wear down wool pile very quickly. Grit gets trapped near the foundation threads and cuts the fibres as people walk over them.
Place it in a living room or bedroom where people wear slippers or soft shoes. Use a good underlay to stop it slipping and spreading the strain across the knots.
Rotate the piece every six months. This ensures any fading from sunlight or wear from footsteps happens evenly across the whole surface.
Those fringes are the ends of the warp threads holding the foundation together. Cutting them weakens the structure and will let the knotted pile slide right off the ends.
Have a restorer secure the fringe with a simple blanket stitch. They can bind the remaining warp threads safely without altering the main border.
Please note: This Antique Qashqai Rugs guide and its associated pricing data are provided for general informational purposes only. It does not constitute formal financial, investment, or appraisal advice and should not be relied upon as the sole basis for any commercial activity, purchasing, or sales decisions. Sellingantiques.co.uk accepts no liability for any actions taken in reliance on this information. Always consult with a qualified professional or independent appraiser.
