© WildWebWizards 2011 Persian rugs and Persian styloe rugs are typically woven with intricate curvilinear designs.  Persian styles are some of the most diverse styles worldwide. There are over fifty different Persian styles woven in Iran and other countries such as India, Pakistan, China, and some European countries. Some well-known Persian styles include Afshar, Arak, Ardabil, Bakhtiari, Bijar, Esfahan, Farahan, Ghouchan, Hamadan, Heriz, Joshaghan, Kashan, Kerman, Kermanshah, Lilian, Malayer, Mashad, Nain, Najafabad, Natanz, Qashghai, Qazvin, Qum, Ravar, Sabzevar, Sarab, Saruk, Senneh, Serapi, Shiraz, Sultanabad, Tabriz, Tehran, Varamin, Yazd and Zanjan. Unlike most oriental rugs, the motifs on Chinese rugs do not unite in order to create one design; they stand alone. Also, unlike most oriental rugs, Chinese designs are very literal rather than decorative; most motifs have very exact meanings. Some Chinese sub-styles include Ningxia, Baodou, Gansu, Peking, and Mongolia. Turkoman rugs are produced by nomadic weavers of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and the province of Khorassan in northeast Iran. Turkoman rugs are easily distinguished by their three characteristics of a dominant red to red-brown background color, geometric pattern, and a unique octagonal motif known as gul, which has several versions. The layout is generally all- over and guls are repeated in rows with usually smaller guls of similar, but not exact, geometric design (minor guls) in between the rows of major guls. White, beige, black and blue are used to create color contrast in the motifs and the border of the rug. What are the different families of rugs? Persian Rugs Chinese Rugs Turkoman Rugs