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Glossary/Senneh KnotTechnique

Senneh Knot

An asymmetrical knotting technique in which pile yarn wraps around one warp thread and passes behind an adjacent one. Also called the Persian or asymmetrical knot.

Also called Persian knot or asymmetrical knot. Senneh is an anglicisation of Sanandaj, a Kurdish weaving centre in Iran.
Definition

The Senneh knot (named after the Iranian city Sanandaj, now Senneh) wraps around one warp thread and passes behind the adjacent one, with both cut ends emerging on the same side. This asymmetry allows more refined, curved patterning than the Ghiordes knot, which is why Persian carpet traditions with curvilinear arabesque patterns use it almost exclusively.

In Moroccan Amazigh pile-knotted rugs, the Ghiordes (symmetrical) knot is more common. Senneh knots appear in some Moroccan urban workshop pieces influenced by Persian conventions, and in transitional pieces from regions with cross-cultural contact.

Why it matters for buying
In a Moroccan Amazigh context, encountering a Senneh-knotted piece suggests either workshop rather than village production or significant outside influence. This is relevant to attribution and to understanding what kind of object you are looking at.
Related Terms
Pile-KnottedIndividual wool knots tied around warp threads, row by row, then clipped. The surface is warm underfoot, acoustically dense, and slow to make.Ghiordes KnotAlso called the symmetrical or Turkish knot, the primary knotting structure in Moroccan Amazigh pile weaving. Each knot wraps symmetrically around two adjacent warp threads.Knot DensityThe number of hand-tied knots per square centimetre in a pile-knotted rug, a measure of fineness and a factor in pattern resolution and durability.
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