Design Story

Mahtab — moonlight — is one of the most beloved words in the Persian poetic tradition. Poets from Rumi to Hafiz used it to describe not merely the light of the moon, but a quality of presence: something that illuminates without blinding, that reveals without exposing, that makes the familiar world look briefly extraordinary. Moonlight does not announce itself. It simply arrives, and the world is different for it.

The design of the Mahtab rug is built around that quality of light. The composition works with forms that suggest the moon's movement — curved, flowing, and subtly asymmetric in the way that natural light is never perfectly still. The palette is drawn from the colours of a moonlit landscape: deep midnight blue and charcoal at the ground, silver-white and pale ivory in the highlighted areas, with the silk pile creating the transitions between shadow and light that give the design its depth and its atmosphere.

Our artisans work on the Mahtab with the understanding that this is a rug about light as much as it is about pattern. The placement of the silk — which sections of the design receive the shimmering fibre and which remain in the quieter wool — is a design decision made by experienced hands that understand how light moves across a pile surface. The result is a rug that looks different at morning, at noon, and at night. That is not a coincidence. It is exactly the intention.

Specifications

• Material — Premium Wool & Natural Silk
• Construction — Hand Knotted (Persian Knot)
• Design — Mahtab — Moonlight-inspired, Flowing Curved Composition
• Colour Palette — Midnight Blue, Charcoal, Silver-White, Pale Ivory
• Foundation — Cotton warp and weft
• Pile Height — Fine to Medium — approx. 7–10 mm
• Finish — Hand washed, hand clipped, hand finished
• Use — Indoor only
• Origin — Handmade in India

Shipping Information

• Made to order — each Mahtab rug is hand knotted individually after your order is confirmed. Please allow 8–14 weeks for knotting, finishing, and quality inspection before dispatch.
• Domestic shipping across India — delivered within 3–5 business days after dispatch via fully insured courier. Insurance at full declared value included at no additional cost.
• Free shipping on all domestic orders for this collection.
• International shipping available worldwide — estimated delivery in 10–18 business days after dispatch. Full insurance and customs documentation provided. Import duties and taxes are the buyer's responsibility.
• Premium packaging — rolled on an acid-free archival tube, wrapped in tissue paper, enclosed in a Srijan Art cotton slipcover, and packed in a reinforced box. A certificate of authenticity is included with every piece.
• Progress updates — photographic updates at key stages of production and a final approval photograph before dispatch.
• Returns policy — as every piece is individually hand knotted to order, returns are not accepted unless the piece arrives materially damaged or differs from the agreed specification. Contact us at srijanartrugs.com before ordering with any questions.

Care Instructions

• Vacuum with suction only — no beater bar. Silk fibres are delicate and will lose their sheen permanently under mechanical agitation. Vacuum lightly in the direction of the pile, once a week at most.
• Blot spills immediately with a clean, dry, white cloth only. Never use coloured cloths on silk. Always blot — never rub — from the outside of the spill inward.
• Cold water only for any spot treatment. Silk is permanently and irreversibly damaged by warm or hot water. Never apply heat or steam of any kind to this rug.
• No household detergents or chemical cleaners — use only pH-neutral, silk-safe products in very small amounts if necessary. Rinse thoroughly to remove all residue.
• Do not machine wash, soak, or tumble dry. The wool and silk combination requires specialist care — home wet-cleaning risks permanent damage to both fibres.
• Professional cleaning only for deep cleaning — a specialist experienced with wool and silk mixed-pile hand knotted rugs. Recommended every 12–18 months.
• Protect from direct sunlight — the dark ground tones and silk highlights of the Mahtab are both sensitive to UV fading. Rotate 180° every 3 months and use window treatments to limit direct light exposure.
• Store rolled with pile inward, wrapped in breathable cotton cloth. Never fold. Keep in a cool, dark, dry, ventilated space away from moisture and pests.