The Qashqai are a large Turkic-speaking tribal confederation living primarily in the Fars province of southwestern Iran. Historically nomadic pastoralists, the Qashqai migrated seasonally between summer highland pastures in the Zagros mountains and winter lowlands near the Persian Gulf. Many are still partly nomadic today.
Qashqai rugs are among the most celebrated tribal rugs in the Persian tradition. What distinguishes them:
- Bold geometric designs — pole medallions, stepped diamonds, repeating geometric figures
- Stylized human, animal, and plant figures — particularly birds, lions, horses, and people; Qashqai weavers freely incorporate figurative elements into otherwise geometric designs
- Saturated natural-dye color palette — strong madder reds, deep indigo blues, ivory, and saffron yellows; some Qashqai pieces are renowned for their use of bright orange-toned reds
- All-wool construction with very high-quality local wool
- Asymmetric (Persian) knot, typically 80–200 KPSI
- Smaller average size — Qashqai rugs are mostly scatter and area sizes; runners and large rugs exist but are less common
Major Qashqai sub-groups, each with somewhat distinct weaving styles:
- Amaleh — perhaps the largest sub-group; produces classic Qashqai medallion designs
- Kashkuli (Big and Little) — known for particularly fine, refined Qashqai weaving
- Darreh-Shuri — bold, geometric, often with diamond pole designs
- Shesh-Boluki — characteristic geometric patterns
- Farsi-Madan
The trading city of Shiraz is the main market for Qashqai rugs, and many older Qashqai pieces are labeled in the trade as "Shiraz rugs" — Shiraz itself does not weave; it markets the rugs from the surrounding Fars province tribes.
Beyond rugs, the Qashqai weave a wide range of functional tribal textiles: bags (chanteh, khorjin, mafrash), kilims, gabbeh rugs, and saddle covers. Qashqai gabbehs are particularly distinctive within the broader gabbeh category.