Indian
Rugs
History of Rugs
http://www.rugman.com/Library/RT_History.aspx
Collectors often justify their obsession with
handcrafted Oriental and Persian rugs by explaining their desire
to own a small piece of the rich history and beauty behind this
art form.
Rug weaving is a tradition that spans the centuries over a number
of cultures. There are several references to the art of weaving
found in ancient scriptures and classical writing. Unfortunately,
there is no evidence that proves these references were to pile carpets
and not simply to flat weaves (Kilims).
On the evidence of fragments found in ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian
tombs, we know that various forms of flat weaving were well developed
more than 4000 years ago. Other evidence suggests that weaving of
pile rugs existed in the Middle East and other parts of central,
northwest, and eastern Asia long before 2000 BC.
It is definitely certain however, that Asia was the first continent
to produce rugs and that it was definitely the nomadic wanderers
who created them.
The rearing of sheep, the prime source of carpet wool, is a traditional
nomad occupation. Add to this the necessity of thick coverings for
people having to endure extreme cold and it's likely the craft of
weaving developed to replace the use of rough animal skins for warmth.
Before the discovery of the Pazyryk Rug, the oldest pile rug fragments
of ancient rugs ever discovered were found in East Turkmenistan
in an area known as the Tarim Basin. This area includes parts of
northwest India, East Turkmenistan, southern Russia, Uzbekistan,
Kirgizstan, western China, and Mongolia itself.
The art of pile rug weaving appeared in Europe some time after
1000 AD, and likely in Spain because of its proximity to Egypt,
Mesopotamia, and Iran.
Other European countries soon imitated the craft and by the 20th
century weaving rugs was prevalent in almost all of Europe. However,
even with Europe producing their own rugs, we can still see through
classic paintings that almost all the rugs depicted appear to be
of the Persian or Anatolian types.
Rug weaving in Europe never became as important as it did in Asia
and as a result, many Asian nations built enormous rug exporting
industries over time.
The Pazyryk Rug - The Oldest Rug Ever Discovered
In 1947, Russian archaeologist Sergei Rudenko made a major discovery
that had a dramatic impact on the rug industry. He found what is
now considered the oldest rug in existence.
This pile knotted rug, referred to as the Pazyryk rug, was discovered
in a Scythian burial mound dating from the 5th century BC. This
rug used the Ghiordes (Turkish) knot and had an average of 200 knots
per square inch.
This carpet resembles later Oriental rugs, with a central field
surrounded by major and minor borders. The central field has a madder
red ground upon which are rows of squares containing schematized
floral motifs. The squares are themselves contained within a border
of octagons resembling later Turkoman weavings.
The first major border contains a procession of Elks; there is
then a minor border of floral motifs, which follows the designs
within the field of squares, but with reverse coloring. The second
major border is filled with a procession of horses and their riders
on a madder field. Each horse has a richly embroidered saddlecloth
with the design that closely resembles that of the Pazyryk rug itself.
The Pazyryk rug shows a mixture of Assyrian, Achaemenian (ancient
Persian empire), and Scythian motifs, and it is believed by some
to be of Persian origin. Most believe it was woven by nomads who
migrated to this area from the region known today as Mongolia, or
they wove it in farther east regions and brought it westwards.
Before the discovery of the Pazyryk rug, the oldest known specimens
of carpets were found in the Tarim Basin of East Turkmenistan, west
of China and Mongolia. Many rug scholars believe that pile rugs
originated in Mongolia and moved westward to Persia and Anatolia,
although others believe that the Persians were weaving pile rugs
long before Mongolians had learned the art.
We can never be sure where rug weaving originated because carpets
are perishable and could not last four to six thousand years unless
they were preserved in ice, as is the case with the Pazyryk rug.
What we do know is that even if Mongolians had been the first to
weave pile rugs, it was the Persians that took the craft and made
it into an art form - Provided by rugman.com
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