SERABEND

The name Serabend that is usually used for the rugs from this area is linked to a short river that flows through the district's main valley. In Persian sar-ab-band, means "where the water freezes", an allusion to the valley's cold climate. The inhabitants of this village are mostly of Turkish descent and language: it is an ethnic pocket that presumably dates from the period of the Seljuk domination and has conserved its features thanks to the isolation and independence of the district.
The features of the rugs made here have also remained unchanged over the centuries. The full-field decoration consists of tiny white boteh   on a red or pinkish background (sometimes the background is blue). The border is white, and zigzag motifs alternate with boteh. The knotting is not very dense, but the soft, shiny wool is excellent quality. Sometimes these rugs are called Mir or Serabend Mir. There are no certainties concerning the origin of this name, but it may be a reference to the Islamic honorific and may be used to indicate better than average quality, that is, worthy of a Mir.