Qooch

Rugs that follow the seasons

Qooch takes its name from kooch, the seasonal migration of the nomadic tribes of the Zagros mountains, such as the Bakhtiari and the Qashqai. Every spring and autumn, they move their flocks between summer and winter pastures. Our weavers still live by this rhythm. Families who keep the nomadic way spend the summer in green highland pastures beside the springs and move to warmer valleys for the winter. In the villages, the loom stands on the porch in summer and is carried indoors when the snow comes. No one weaves full time. The women weave a few rows each day, in the hours left after milking the animals, making yoghurt and churning butter. Each rug follows the weaver's own hand rather than a fixed pattern. On a good day, she may add a bright colour of her own choosing. No two Qooch rugs are alike, because no two days at the loom are the same.