Vegetable dyes were the only dyes available until the late 19th century. These dyes were made with complex recipes from flowers, plants, and even minerals that were available. During the 20th century most weavers switched to chemical (German or Swiss Chrome dyes) because of the consistency in those dyes. In recent years we have seen a resurgence in the use of vegetable dyes. Neither type is superior, but we do find that vegetable dyes tend to produce warm tones that are impossible to achieve with chemical dyes. Vegetable dyes also tend to have some variation in color within the rug. Another technique that produces a lot of color variation is the use of hand spun wools. When wool is hand spun, it has an inconsistent density along the length of the yarn. This causes dyes to be absorbed at different rates and color strength. This is true whether the dye is chemical or vegetable. Many dealers sell rugs as "vegetable dyed" when in fact the color variation is due to the use of hand spun wool. Modern "Kazak" carpets almost always use chemical dyes, but most are sold to uneducated buyers as "vegetable dyed".

One of the first people to reintroduce vegetable dyes was a man named Khal Mohammed, about 20 years ago in Afghanistan. After the Soviets left Afghanistan, Khal Mohammed started a cottage industry among the Turkoman people in the north, buying looms and patterns for people, and dying the wool. He would then buy the finished carpets that they wove. These carpets became known in the trade as "Khal Mohammedi", or "Khalmahmadi". Vegetable dyed Turkoman carpets are now made throughout Northern Afghanistan.

A second source of vegetable dyed carpets appeared in the late 1990's, as Afghan refugees in Pakistan began weaving a new type of carpet, using vegetable dyes on hand-spun wool. These carpets usually have golden or wheat colored fields, though some pieces utilize other colors in the fields. They are generally based on antique patterns from Persian carpets. They have become known in the trade as "Chobi" (translates "wood"). Most of the Afghan refugees have now returned home, and the best Chobi carpets are being woven in Afghanistan. They differ from Chobis from Pakistan in that they almost always use the fine "Ghazni" wool from the Ghazni mountain range West of Kabul. Pakistani Chobis often use inferior wool from Karachi, or a blend of Ghazni and Karachi wool. Unfortunately, most rug buyers will not know the difference between the two, but the Ghazni wool will last much longer. Most dealers claim their carpets use Ghazni wool, but many times this is not true. We are now carrying exclusively Afghan Chobi carpets to assure that our clients only receive the best wool. See wool quality for more information.

Another recent development in vegetable dyed rugs comes from Southern Iran, in the Quashqai region. This region is famous for tribal pieces called "Gabbeh" Gabbeh translates literally "uncut" or "unfinished". Gabbehs are used by the Quashqai people to sleep on. The weavers use a lot of creativity in making these rugs, and many tell a story. We are now seeing extremely fine gabbehs, woven very tightly, much like Quashquli carpets, with beautifully simple floral patterns and wonderful vegetable dyed colors. These rugs are sometimes called "ris baft". "Ris" translates "small", and "baft" is "woven. So these carpets are woven with the "small" knot, meaning very fine and tight. A middle grade gabbeh is often called "Luri baft". See Gabbeh carpets for some samples of these fine rugs.

Finally, Serafian's Oriental Rugs is now offering a new line of contemporary rugs called NU® Collection. These rugs use all vegetable dyes, and are perfect for people who want rugs designed for contemporary homes. Click on the NU® Collection link to see these beautiful rugs.