On picture #5, the first two words are ... Iran Qom reading from right to left. The third word, looks like it says Mosul or a similar word but is probably a Farsi word I don't know. But I am right about the first two words.

Hello cgagne, welcome to the forum these are some great looking rugs you're looking at.

Any numbers within this post are just for loose reference. I didn't count the KPSI for the qums.

Presumably you should be able to get a better deal being closer to the source. Not always the case. If you're planning in purchasing all four rugs, you should get a much better deal. I would negotiate as much as possible.

As Krow assessed, I think these are probably real qum, but it never hurts to do a burn test. Rubbing your hand over the pile fast with an open palm may help too. If your hand gets hot after light pressure and to and fro movement, it's probably real silk. As for the prices, they vary a lot based on MANY factors. I know on ebay you can get roughly 400-500 KPSI silk qum in OKAY design execution and OKAY color in 2x3 for around $750 or $125 per square foot from a ebay "dealer". Retail showroom may or may not be more. Larger pieces tend to go for more money per foot but this is usually for much larger sizes. 3x5 is a great size for hanging, you will probably get this around 2k with okay design & colors. For excellent design execution and excellent colors, I would add up to 50% for ebay price or around 3k for 3x5. The prices are fluctuating a lot. One retailer I spoke with said qum prices have nearly doubled in the last 7 years. some dealers have accounted for this in asking prices for old stock, some have not. Generally brick and mortar store US retail would probably bring it up much more (and usually justifiably so if they're an importer). Since you're overseas, I would negotiate the prices, especially if youre getting several. The green piece looks like a better rug from a construction and design standpoint, but the colors may not be as conducive to demand as the blue tree of life qum

per the oushak, it's probably a peshawar rug with an oushak design. Often these are made in pakistan by afghan refugees. In the states that could be anywhere around 750-1200 "ebay retail" if it's the type I think it may be. better pieces on ebay will go for around 1500 in 8x10 (example here is 9x12), showroom retail perhaps as much as 2700. Bad pieces with "minor flaws" such as a bad was will go for sometimes much, much less. Even too much open field, or otherwise seconds goods can be 60% less.

The last piece from Turkey I have litle experience with and don't want to misguide. I would negotiate. at these prices I would say they're between ebay prices and retail, some closer to retail, some closer to ebay. I would not purchase with the intent for resale with that being said. How much pressure you put on the seller is up to you, but from my experience the best "pressure" is being passive aggressive and showing your willingness to have a "take it or leave it" attitude no matter how much you like the rugs. If you walk away with the group for 40% less than what they are asking, I think you will do pretty darn good. If you buy at the asking price, you could probably get just about the same here in the states with a fair amount of research, browsing and an e-bay account

I think Krow is right that it says qum. the signature above is from an ebay listing. red lines to the right they look very similar. Signatures help, but so many weavers are signing qum rugs now it's almost a standard for the upper 50 percentile. the one on top may have been after the rug was made.

Okay, I am seeing them now, but I don;'t see another image with sript on it other than the one I commented on. It's in that list of images at the top of this thread? What number?

This is what's hard on these rugs with signatures where they aren't really meant to be read clerly. The one that RugPro just showed says "Iran Qom nibaba (something) y If there are any farsi speakers on the list they are probaly having a good one at my buthery. The black image you put up, the notches above the letters are supposed to be vowel sounds but they are not by any means rendered to look like the real vowel sounds with look like / (above=a as in a quick ah), / (below)=i as a quick e) an image similar to the number 9 above is the uw, there is a small mark similar to a w, sort of that is a long/doubling sound, there are glottal stops and a few others as well that would take more explaining. But those notches don't look like anything so I am assumung they are just for the effect of the signature rather than meaning to be really read. Besides, in most Arabic now you don't see those because people know what words are and don't need the "training wheels." It's like a puzzle. And then farsi has some other marks they use and a different pattern of dots under and above certain letters than Arabic. I haven't seen enough Moroccan rugs to know, but I have never seen a signature on rugs of actual Arab origin. I could be wrong. But it could also have another significance that doesn't bear going into here either. Just like the imperfections that people intentionally include in rugs. A lot of people don't get that, but it's really quite a lovely sentiment.

KrowGyrl, I think I got the subject off track by asking you to look at the signature of a lower post "Signature on fringe..." I'm hoping that it is hereke. I looked at some that seem to imply that it should be in Otterman. But if you can pick up anything, "no, it's not fars or arabic or not. I'm don't even know if Turk speak Arabic or not.

Thansk

It's not a Yoruk; as far as I know, they no longer produce commercially - looks like a Bergama to me. I counter-offer with a 50% reduction in price & negotiate from there - always be willing to walk away...

NK