Rug Glossary of Terms: M
- Machine made
Rugs woven on an electrically powered machines, now usually computer controlled.
- Madder
A Southwest Asian long lasting plant. A red root of this plant was (and in some places still is) an important source of red dye.
- Manufactory
Made by hand in a factory.
- Mahi
Persian for “fish,” this term refers to the Herati design which at times can resemble a fish eye design.
- Make
Determines where a rug is made.
- Mamluk Carpet
Large format rugs with complex geometric design and large medallions, woven in Cairo, Egypt from the 13th to the early 16th.
- Maintenance
Preservation of the rug by assuring graceful aging, such as wash, vacuuming, and rotation.
- Malachite
A green mineral used as a source of green dye.
- Mashad
One of the key rug weaving centers in Iran, where production began in the late 19th century. Mashad rugs are large, double-wafted, have a red background, and are woven on a cotton foundation.
- Medallion
The large centerpiece of the rug, a central point of the design. Most common shapes of medallions are diamonds, octagons, and hexagons.
- Medallion-and-corner
A particular design of the rug, wherein a medallion is quartered into the four corners of the rug, plus one full medallion in the center.
- Memling Gul
Diamond-shaped medallion surrounded with small hooks.
- Mina Khani
An allover design consisting of two or more flowers connected by a diamond lattice.
- Minor Border
One or a few narrower bands on each side of the main border are known as the minor border.
- Mir boteh
(Persian) A design of small rows of botehs throughout a field.
- Moharramatt Ghakanadaani
A pattern which consists of vertical stripes of equal width. Each stripe is different in color from the neighboring stripes and, typically has a different motif (although sometimes the motif may be repeated.) Often seem in Qum rugs.
- Morocco
Country in North Africa, capital – Rabat. Moroccan rugs are mostly woven for local use or sold to tourists, and have not yet reached the Western markets.
- Motifs
Any single form or a group of forms which together constitute an overall design of a rug.
- Mughal Carpet
Indian carpets produced in the 15th-18th centuries during the ruling of the Mughal dynasty. This period is considered the golden age of carpet production in India.
- Multi-Level Loop Pile
Yarn loops of different height which create a three-dimensional effect.
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