A World of Rugs and Carpets
Rugs and Carpets have been a part of Middle Eastern Culture for Centuries and many of these countries first came to fame and prominence due to their skill in producing them.
A broad description of the types and origins of these many styles follows. For Persian rugs and carpets in particular, you can use our Interactive Map for more detailed descriptions of their regional origins.
Hand Knotted Pile Carpets
The hand-knotted pile carpet probably originated in southern Central Asia between 3000 and 2000BC, although there is evidence of domesticated goats and sheep being sheared for wool and hair which was spun and woven as far back at 6000BC.
The earliest surviving pile carpet in the world is the “Pazyryk Carpet”, dating from between 500 and 400BC. It was excavated from a Pazyryk burial mound in 1949 where it had been preserved in ice in the valley of Pazyryk. The origin of this carpet is thought to be either the Scythians or the Persian Achaemenids. This vibrant colored carpet is 6′6″ x 6′0″ and framed by a border of demons or griffins
The earliest group of surviving knotted pile carpets was produced under Seljuk rule in the first half of the 13th century on the Anatolian peninsula in Turkey. These 18 examples are often referred to as the Konya Carpets. The central field of these large carpets is a repeated geometrical pattern. The borders are ornamented with a large-scale, stylized, angular calligraphy called Kufic.
Persian and Anatolian carpets
The Persian carpet is a part of Persian (Iranian) art and culture. Carpet-weaving in Persia dates back to the Bronze Age although the earliest surviving collection of Persian carpets comes from the 16th Century Safavid dynasty. However, painted depictions suggest a much longer history of production.
There is a huge variety among classical Persian carpets of the 16th and 17th centuries. Common motifs or designs include scrolling vine networks, arabesques, cloud bands, medallions, and overlapping geometric sections rather than animals and humans, mainly due to Islam, the dominant religion in this part of the world, forbade their depiction.
Turkish carpets
Carpets, whether knotted or flat woven Kilims are among the best known art forms produced by the Turkish peoples. They have protected themselves from the extremes of the cold weather by covering the floors, and sometimes walls and doorways, with carpets. These are handmade, of wool or sometimes cotton, with occasional additions of silk.
Turkish carpets in the 15th and 16th centuries are best known through European paintings. For example, in the works of Lotto, a renowned Italian artist, and Holbein, the famous German artist, Turkish carpets are seen under the feet of the Virgin Mary, or in secular paintings, on tables. In the 17th century, when the Netherlands became a powerful mercantile country, Turkish carpets graced many Dutch homes. The Dutch painter Vermeer represented Turkish carpets predominantly to indicate the high economic and social status of the persons in his paintings. Turkey carpets, as they were known, were too valuable to be put on floors, except under the feet of the Holy Mother and royalty.
The Turkish carpets have exuberant colors, motifs, and patterns. Because traditionally women have woven the carpets, this is one art form that is rarely appreciated as being the work of a known or a specific artist.
Pakistani carpets
The art of weaving developed in the region which is now known as Pakistan at a time when few other civilizations employed it. Excavations at Moenjodaro and Harappa, ancient cities of the Indus Valley civilization, have established that the inhabitants used spindles and spun a wide variety of weaving materials. Some believe that these Indus Valley inhabitants were the first too develop the use of woven textiles.
Carpet weaving may have been introduced into the area of present-day Pakistan as far back as the eleventh century but can with more certainty be traced to the beginning of the Mughal Dynasty in the early 16th century. Under the patronage of the Mughals, Indian craftsmen adopted Persian techniques and designs. Carpets woven in the Punjab at that time, often called Lahore carpets today, made use of motifs and decorative styles found in Mughal architecture.
During the Mughal period, the carpets made on the Indian subcontinent became so famous that demand for them spread abroad. These carpets had distinctive designs and boasted a high density of knots.
At present, hand-knotted carpets are among Pakistan’s leading export products and their manufacture is the second largest ’small industry’. Pakistani craftsmen have the capacity to produce any type of carpet using all the popular motifs of gulls, medallions, paisleys, traceries, and geometric designs in various combinations.