Persian Rug Symbolism

Just as the Persian rug has a certain history and culture woven into every knot, so too does the imagery used in the patterns mean something special. The complexity of the patterns of Persian rugs has obviously grown since the invention of modern industrial production methods, but many of the complex geometric shapes go back for centuries.  

In the old days, simplicity versus complexity reflected craftsmanship, ability, quality, and value imbued in a rug. In today's market, for the most part, it more represents individual tastes of the consumer.

At first glance, the intricate shapes on antique Persian rugs can look like just swirls, shapes, and blocks. But if you look more closely, you can begin to identify certain story-telling symbolic messages. Often times they are quite stylized, super-interpreted representations of the symbols, but they are there.
    
For example, the lotus blossom often represents rebirth, immortality, and reincarnation, for its connections with Buddhism. Peacocks also have ties to immortality, and hyacinths can represent renewal. Trees may represent The Tree of Life, a symbol of a route from Earth to Heavan. Peonies usually stand for physical or political power, whereas tulips tend to signal monetary or emotional prosperity.
    
Diamonds, although they may get worked in innocuously, may sometimes stand for women,  but pomegranates almost always represent fertility.

And it's not limited to just the pictoral representations used in the rug- certain colors in certain contexts can represent things, as well.

Reds, while the most popular color chosen for antique persian rugs, can also stand for courage, or beauty. This likely stems from human physiological responses to danger (flushing red) and flirting (also flushing red.)

Persian carpets with blue in them invariably demonstrate power, likely because only those in high places could afford the expensive materials used to make blue dyes back in the day.  Golds also tend to signal wealth, simply because faux-gold techniques weren't developed in the old days- you had to actually weave gold filament into the carpet to achieve that shine.

Whites in Persian rugs tend to represent either purity, or death, depending on the context. In a bed of diamonds, pomegranates, and other red shapes, it most likely means purity or virginal qualities. In other cases, it can be the funeral color.

Greens are hardly ever used in Persian rugs, especially in post Muslim times, because green is thought of as the holy color of Mohammed, the prophet of Islam.

One should keep this deeply imbued history in mind when choosing a Persian rug for their home- they are choosing a symbolic, rich story of significance and tradition.