Senna Kilims

Senna, now known as Sanandaj, is the capital of the district called Kurdistan and gives its name to a group of finely woven kilims of the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The fine floral patterns were inspired by the embroideries and brocades of the Safavid period and most were workshop produced for sophisticated urban demand.
Senna kilims are small in size and finely woven in slitweave and eccentric weft technique, with cotton warps and woollen wefts; motifs are frequently enhanced with metal or silk threads. The designs often consist of small clusters of flowers, boteh, running vines, bees and a central diamond cluster of small flowers known as a Herati pattern. Persia is not known for its prayer kilims, the sole exception being those made in Senna, with their distinctive bulbous mihrab. The central field of Senna kilims is flanked by a series of major and minor borders of leaf, stem and other floral motifs. The colours are predominantly blue, red and white.