An antique North West Persian Rug. Late 19th Century.Tribal in feeling with abstract and geometric shapes arranged in a half drop pattern. Crisp clean saturated colors contrast with a dark navy field within an Ivory border. Prized for their pronounced geometric style, impeccable execution and saturated color palettes, Persian Heriz rugs, also known as Serapi rugs, and Bakshaish rugs are in a class of their own. These mesmerizing carpets are regional cousins from northwest Persia, thus they share mutual origins. The northwest part of Persia is the area straddling the Caucasus mountains and Caspian sea, bordering with South Asia. It includes parts of Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Therefore, Persian rugs and Bakshaish rugs represent the convergence of different cultures, from the Kazakhs and Khazars to the invading Mughals. In the past, the Northwest Persian district comprised of dozens of villages and niche communities hidden in the shadow of towering mountains and steep valleys which formed a stable carpet-producing network that has survived until this day and maintained its prestige thanks to the awe-inspiring antique oriental rugs and Bakshaish rugs.