Shah Abbas Carpets

So named for Persia's greatest ruler, whose death in 1628 marked the end of Persia's "Golden Age."

The flowers in these rugs are , big and elaborate. They are spaced more widely and are con-t nected by strong scrolls and vines. The rugs themselves are very '. large, often more than fifty feet long.

They are commonly called "Ispahan" because Shah Abbas had his capital there, and prob­ably, too, because it is a glamorous name. But experts believe they were woven in Herat.