About Us
Seventy-five years
of knowing rugs.
A story that begins with a father’s trade.
Heriz Gallery is owned by Javad Shokouhbin and Majid Saffari, both born in Iran — former Persia — and steeped in the culture of a rug tradition thousands of years old.
The store has its roots in Javad’s father’s successful antique and Persian rug business, started in Persia in 1950. In the mid-1990s — the birth of the new South Africa — Javad and Majid brought that legacy to Johannesburg and opened Heriz Gallery.
For three decades, Javad and Majid have kept a keen, professional eye on the growth of the global rug industry — and built one of the largest collections under one roof in South Africa.
Customers are spoilt for choice with more than 10,000 rugs in store, from the most affordable to the finest antique pieces, imported from the key countries of the former Persian Empire: Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and India.
Along the way, the gallery’s services have grown to include the refurbishing and professional cleaning of rugs, custom-made pieces, in-home consulting, and the sale of ornaments and original art from selected South African artists.
Only the best pieces make it onto the floor.
Every piece in the gallery is chosen, not stocked. From hand-knotted Persian masterworks to contemporary designs, each rug is selected from reputable weavers and manufacturers — so that quality holds, even in the most affordable ranges.
It is a standard measured one rug at a time, for thirty years.
Heriz Gallery — a town, and a way of seeing.
Heriz is a town in western Iran that sits on a large deposit of copper. Traces of copper in the water and soil cause the sheep of the region to produce thick, warm, high-quality wool found nowhere else.
Heriz rugs are highly durable and last for generations — recognisable by a large central medallion in a ‘square-diamond’ shape, where floral and geometric patterns meet.
Rugs are works of art. Every handmade rug begins as a drawing, developed from the inspiration in an individual weaver’s mind; every machine-made rug begins with a designer’s eye.
We curate and display beautiful pieces — the way a gallery does.
More expertise. More quality.
More impartial advice. More satisfaction.
Our core value is integrity. Drawing on generations of rug knowledge, we help every customer find a piece they will truly adore — with value, the power of choice, and peace of mind.
Seventy-five years of knowing rugs.
One showroom in Fourways.
Every rug we sell has been chosen by hand and stood on by the people who chose it. Come and see the collection the way it is meant to be seen — underfoot.
