The History of Hand Made Rugs

There is evidence that Oriental weaving as an art form originated as long ago as the 5th Century BC. This is generally held to be true due to the discovery of a near perfect carpet that a team of archaeologists excavated from the insides of a mound that was designed for the entombment of a Scythian Chieftain. This mound was discovered in the Pazyryk valley in the Altai Mountains in Siberia by a team of Russian archaeologists. This carpet was able to survive, almost intact, for so long because it had been preserved in ice. Archaeologists, working with rug manufacturing experts, were able to determine that this prized possession was woven by hand over 2,500 years ago. This carpet was discovered in 1947 and is available for viewing in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

As far as the weaving of rugs is concerned, this began when nomadic tribes started building improvised looms and started to weave on them with wool that they obtained from domesticated sheep on their lands. These early rugs were, primarily, labors of love and experimentation. The purpose of the weavers was, generally, to depict their interpretation of nature. Among the themes included in these early rugs were flowers, animals and trees. These wavers also used their rugs as a means of illustrating their cultural and religious beliefs with symbols and motifs. These rugs were used for a broad variety of things; some used them as wall hangings in their tents or huts, others used them as floor coverings, still others used them as furniture or table coverings. Then there were the more customary uses that included as sleeping blankets, and as prayer rugs.

The earliest oriental rugs originated in Persia, Turkey, Egypt, the Caucasus and Central Asia. On his travels through Persia,Marco Polo acquired some of the earliest examples of exquisite Oriental rugs in the 13th century. Before this, good carpets were few and far between. The perishable nature of carpets and their purpose of being used as wear and tear items led to the scarcity of good carpets. The few exquisite rugs that did exist though, were meticulously cared for and were cherished and valued by their owners. At one point in time they became extremely sought after because they were regarded as being more valuable than even money and were even used for paying taxes! The alliance between the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and Caesar was also strengthened when Queen Cleopatra presented herself to Caesar, enclosed inside a rug.

As time went on, a completely new style of rugs, consisting of individual and uniquely characteristic designs, originated in China and Tibet. These rugs, generally, became recognized for their use of symbols from within the predominant Buddhist and Taoist religions. Eventually, the Persian art of rug weaving was carried further and brought down to India where people quickly picked up on it. Fine rugs in India were usually designed to cater to the tastes of mogul emperors who used them to adorn their palaces and the quarters of their courtesans.

As they still do today, these early rugs varied in size, quality and design. Some of these rugs were woven flat, some were hand knotted, but each had its own individual characteristic design or trait that would often help to learn where the rug originated. Due to constant moving, tribes of a nomadic nature were only able to weave smaller less detailed rugs. On the other hand, tribes that were not of a nomadic nature and did not move as much geographically were able to produce larger, more detailed rugs. Often they were even able to produce to custom specifications and for commercial gain. The primitie methods of production in these much larger, detailed rugs meant that production often took weeks, months or even years to weave. However, their efforts were not in vain; even today, some of these rugs are held in the highest of regards and are counted among the highest masterpieces in art.

One such masterpiece in the world of rugs was discovered in a mosque in Ardabil, Persia. Found in 1947, this exquisite rug was crafted from a combination of wool and silk. Furthermore, its 37' x 17' size makes it one of the largest rugs of its type in existence. This rug was marked with the name of its creator Maksud al Kashani and was marked with the date of its creation, which was the Islamic year Al-Hijri 947. This roughly equates to the year AD 1540 on the Gregorian calendar. Shah Tahmasp commissioned this rug for use in the Shayk Safi al Din Ardabili Shrine in Ardabil. All this information was discovered in an oblong cartouche that this rug’s weaver had attached to one of its corners. This inscription is displayed, today, at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Many rugs woven today still employ the same method as that used by the artists of over 2,000 years ago. It should come as no surprise then that many designs, patterns and motifs seen in the ancient rugs are still visible in today’s rugs; either exact replicas or slightly modified to fit the needs of the time they were produced in. To this effect, rugs have also, throughout history, acted as mediums through which weavers express their emotions and depictions of their surrounding circumstances or events such as, among other things, warfare.

Till date, antique oriental rugs are considered masterful works of art and are highly sought after by collectors of fine art. Antique rugs, if cared for properly, tend to hold their value very well and, mostly, tend to appreciate in value. Modern varieties have become highly sought after in Western countries such as the United States and in European countries as well. In their countries of origin, rugs are still used, in large part, for traditional purposes such as, but not limited to, being used as, prayer mats, floor coverings, dastarkhwans (eating mats), and furnishings.