Situated in the west of Persia and to the south of Arak is the area of Mahallet within the larger province of Kurdistan. From this area come Mahal and Sultanabad Carpets famous for their floral designs and following the influence of the Ziegler Company in the late 19th century they improved the quality and designs to match the European taste of the time.
In 1883 Ziegler and Co, of Manchester, England established a Persian carpet manufacture in Sultanabad Persia, which employed designers from major western department stores such as A B. Altman & Co of New York and Liberty, to modify 16th- and 17th-century Eastern designs for the more restrained western taste. Using highly developed dying techniques, and the best artisans from the region, the Ziegler Co created rugs with bold, all-over patterns and with softer palettes than their vibrant Persian counterparts.
