The art of rug-making, the nomad’s primary means of creative expression, is also a valuable method teaching the young of the symbolic language of patterns and color which comprise the cultural heritage of the Northwest Kurdish people. In many Northwest antique Kurdish rugs, evidence that the young tried their hand at weaving is obvious. A few rows of flowers in the middle of a rug take on the wobbly 
lines of as yet unsteady fingers, and then suddenly the design continues with the clear, flowing patterns from the mother’s dexterous hands. 
The fine examples of pile carpets as well as the various storage bags using kilim and sumac techniques of the Kurdish of Northwest Persia, 
Eastern Turkey and the Southern Caucasus represent folk art in its purest, most delightful state.
Some 700 miles to the east of Azerbaijan lies the second great antique carpet weaving region of the Kurds, between the town of Quchan and Borjund in the Persian Khurasan. Moved here by the Persian shahs of the 17th and 18th centuries as a military buffer against the threatening Uzbeks and Turkomans, the adaptable Quchan Kurds of Northeast Persia have utilized the designs of the neighboring Baluches and Turkomans over the past 300 years. Often a Northeast Kurdish 
antique rug will be indistinguishable from a Baluche to the novice collector. However, to the more experienced its softer, more varied palette of colors, its more roughly drawn lines and a random use of tiny animals and flowers along with the primary design make the Oriental rug unmistakably Kurdish. Also, upon examination of the antique Kurdish rug’s weave, one notices that the Kurdish always use the symmetrical knot, while the Baluche and Turkoman employ primarily the asymmetrical knot. The antique carpets of the towns of Bijar and Senneh in Persian Kurdistan show perhaps most clearly the resourcefulness of the Kurdish weaver. When Senneh became a provincial capital in 1880, its weavers were challenged to create atnique carpets of the much tighter weave, closely cut pile and clearly detailed design preferred by the newly arrived Persian gentry. They responded to this challenge magnificently, producing textiles, often of silk foundation, with a knot density rivaling that of the workshop products of the major cities. 
Nearby Bijar and the 40-odd villages which surround it were quick to follow. Geometric tribal antique carpet designs were virtually 
abandoned in favor of the intricate Persian floral motifs such as the herati, mina khani, medallion-and-pendant and harshang antique rug patterns.Although by the late 19th century and early 20th century the two towns were producing a sufficient number of Persian carpets to meet not only local, but also national demand, their quality did not suffer measurably because of commercialism as was the case in many of the 
weaving manufactories of the larger cities. Ranging from mat to palace sizes, the Bijar carpets of this period exemplified the traditional Kurdish weaving virtues—lustrous superior grade wool, an extensive, armonious palette of naturally dyed colors and an asymmetrical as well as symmetrical balance of pattern. The Bijar rug is also an outstandingly durable carpet, with the strong weave and rigid foundation which have earned it the title of “Iron Rug of Persia.” As well, Senneh is the home of a distinctive flatweave “kilim” rug utilizing a densely ornamented, curvilinear design which stands in sharp contrast to the bold geometric patterns of the kilims of nomadic tribes throughout the Near East. 

In short, the antique Kurdish carpet is a superlative example of age-old tribal art which is the cultural heritage of the Near East. Errors do not exist, only innovation; symmetry and perfection are of no concern, yet an asymmetrical harmony between color and design is of utmost portance. And dexterity of craftsmanship and quality of material reigns paramount.