Medallion

In this layout, a large centerpiece called medallion is the focal point of the design. In Persian, this centerpiece is called toranj. The medallion layout is by far the most frequently encountered layout in every handmade rug producing country. Common shapes of the centerpiece are oval, circular, diamond, octagonal, hexagonal, and stars. One special case of a medallion layout is called medallion-and-corner, which was originally inspired by bookbindings, especially those of the holy book of Islam, Quran. This special medallion is distinguished by its quartered medallions in four corners of the rug in addition to the full medallion in the center. The corner elements are called spandrels or lachak in Turkish. Medallion-and-corner is also known as lachak-o-toranj (a Turko-Persian word).Sometimes there are small floral extensions at the top and bottom of the medallion called pendants. The pendants usually consist of two parts. The part closer to the medallion is called katibeh and the part further away from the medallion is called kalaleh in Persian.

One-sided

In this layout, the design is woven in one direction. Therefore, the rug can be properly viewed only from one side, similar to a photograph. For this reason, this layout is also known as one-directional. Prayer and pictorial rugs fall into this category.

The usual design of a prayer rug is a mihrab (the prayer niche constructed in a mosque wall that indicates the direction of Mecca); pictorial rugs portray people, animals, and places. It is essential that one-sided rugs be viewed from the right direction; otherwise, they lose much of their effect. Rugs of this layout should be placed where they cannot be seen upside-down. For example, the top side of the rug could lay against a wall, or the rug could be used as a wall-hanging.