Baluchis are mainly nomad tribes of North Eastern Iran and there are some tribes in the Sourth East of Iran as well.
Baluchis are woven on horizontal looms. They are woven with the Persian knot and are single wefted. Formerly the warps and wefts were invariably of wool, generally black, but since around late 1930s and early 1940s cotton is being used as well. Another interesting feature of the Baluchis is their selvedge. This is generally made of black goat hair, a material which is not used elsewhere in the rug.
The characteristic dark colour of the Baluchi rugs is due to the use of three shades of dark red, a dark and medium blue and black. The impression of colour left by these rugs is one of sombre redness, yet the ground colour of most of them is actually dark blue. Black is commonly used for the outlines, which further deepens the effect of the deep reds and blues. Two shades of camel and a little green are added in the minor figures. White is frequent in the guards. In the 1940s because of the rise in price of indigo and madder there was a notable increase in the number of camel-ground rugs.
The dyestuffs used by the best Baluchi weavers are indigo for the blues. Madder for the red, walnut husks for the camel shades and willow leaves for the yellows. The greens are dyed with indigo on willow leaves. Henna is used for the oranges and as an ingredient for the browns. Black wool is used for the blacks.
