The most sought-after rugs in oriental carpet design are now available in North Andover. Mohammad and Maryam Yamin of Nasym Oriental Rugs and Interiors, located at Jasmine Plaza 733 Turnpike Street, offer a unique selection of traditional and contemporary Persian carpets, and their inventory features Gabbeh rugs which are hand woven in southern Iran.

Gabbeh refers to a traditional style of weaving from southwestern Iran. Mohammad personally hand picks each rug from the weavers in the remote villages of Fars or Shiraz, provinces in southern Iran where the finest quality Gabbehs originate. Each carpet is woven with hand-spun Persian wool and dyed with traditional vegetable dyes which come from sources such as pomegranite skin, madder root, indigo, straw, walnut husks, and cochineal.

Perhaps no carpet has ever matched the decorative versatility of Gabbeh rugs. The nomadic people of the Lori, Bakhtiari, and the Qashqai tribes have woven Gabbeh oriental rugs for a hundred years and continue to keep this tribal art form alive. Each Gabbeh is woven in a private home on a loom set up in a small shelter in the yard. The weaver is given a simple sketch of a design and then encouraged to be creative and spontaneous. The beauty of Gabbeh design is a departure from the classic Persian style to one of more freedom and natural expression. Through deliberate manipulation of line and color and the simplified use of pattern, the weavers increase the emotional impact of their art. The Gabbehs sold at Nasym Oriental Rugs are considered by many to be the best quality modern oriental rugs woven in the last one hundred years.

Mohammad and Maryam Yamin are residents of North Andover who were born in Iran but are now United States citizens. Maryam graduated from high school in Tehran and attended college in the United States, graduating with honors in Interior Design from Delgado College in New Orleans in 1988. Mohammad started his oriental carpet career at the age of 18 in one of Tehran's bazaars, but went on to study Computer Science at Xavier and Tulane in New Orleans. Although he has Bachelors and Masters degrees in Computer Science as well as a Ph.D. in Business Management, his bliss has always been found in the beauty of Persian rugs. He has had an internet carpet business for several years, but he has always wished for a store in which he could share his knowledge and expertise on a more personal level. The opening of Nasym Oriental Rugs and Interiors marks the fulfillment of a long-held dream for Mohammad--and an opportunity for individuals who wish to furnish their homes with some of the most beautiful rugs ever offered.