At the end of the 19th century, after a prolonged period of dormancy, the Persian town of Tabriz experienced an artistic revival and successfully reasserted itself into the forefront of the rug-making world. Perhaps one of the most important figures in this reawakening of Tabriz as an important rug-making centre was the master weaver Haji Jalili, from the nearby of Marand. Haji Jalili is best known today for his incredible and unique approach to rug-making and his preference for distinctive colour palettes and design elements.
The major city of Tabriz, located near the Turkish border, is the centre of classically designed antique carpets in Northwest Persia. At the foot of the beautiful Elbruz Mountains, Tabriz has a noteworthy history, both as the Persian market centre most linked geographically to European and Western commerce, and as the source of the most venerated weavings: the inspired carpets of the Shah Abbas period during the 15th and 16th centuries.
