Isfahan Rugs
During the reigns of Shah Tahmasp and Shah Abbas in the 16th century, several royal factories were established for the manufacture of rugs in Persia's major centers - Isfahan (Shah Abbas' capital), Kashan, Kerman, Tabriz, and Joshaqan. Carpet weavers at these royal factories implemented various technical innovations in response to court demand for more intricate rugs with curvilinear, floral patterns (as opposed to geometric repeating patterns). These royal factories were often under direct court supervision as well. It is at this stage that carpet weaving ceased to be purely a nomadic or village way of life and instead became a sophisticated art form. Designs for highly intricate rugs were based on complex paintings as opposed to a reliance on memory. The senneh knot became the primary knot used, as it was more suited to the types of rugs the courts' artists and painters designed. The highest quality materials began to be used in order to enable the highly intricate patterns and to ensure high durability with high intricacy. For example, silk was used more and more as the warp for highly intricate carpets, as thin strands of silk are stronger than thin strands of wool. These technical innovations were sponsored by the royal court and Shah Abbas' court in Isfahan in particular during the later 1500s. Today, Isfahan rugs are still consistently amongst the finest quality workshop rugs available, in terms of both knot count and quality of materials. Modern Isfahan rugs often consist of silk and wool piles on silk bases, though they are also made with pure wool piles on cotton bases. Although Isfahan rugs are made in a variety of designs, including hunting and pictorial schemes, the most famous design is based on a circular medallion surrounded by intricately purling vine set in a Shah Abbas field.