Rugs and carpets adorn homes and
palaces throughout recorded history; King Soloman's Temple regarded rugs as precious
artifacts, and rugs are mentioned throughout the Bible.
Oriental Rugs are the most important element in any room. In the rug belt,
a wealthy family can afford the best, but even the poorest family will have rugs on the
floor. An Oriental Rug in the East is a table to eat from, a bed to sleep on and a place
to welcome guests, as in many homes you will find no furniture. In addition, prayer rugs
are an important part of the weaver's daily prayer ritual.
Traditionally, spinning the wool and the rug weaving are done by women and
children, while the men will tend the flocks, shear the wool and take care of the dying
process and build the loom. If necessary, the men will barter for a rug design, and by
Islamic tradition it is the man's responsibility to do all the negotiating, buying and
selling. As rug producing countries become more industrialized, fewer people are drawn to
the traditionally low paying rug weaving jobs. At the same time local and global demands
for this precious weaving is continually soaring and this ratio between supply and demand
keeps rug weaving on an upward trend.
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| DESIGN ORIGINS
Persian designs originated in various towns and regions, and often the same familiar
design is repeated with minor color combination and detailing changes. Names such as
Kashan, Heriz, Tabriz, Sarouk, Bidjar, Mosul, Shiraz and Kerman date back hundreds and
even thousands of years.
Turkish rugs also date back thousands of years to ancient towns like Oushak, Ladik,
Yourouk, Bergama, Antolia, Ghoirdes, Meles and Kulah. Almost all the above are of
geometric design with the exception of prayer rugs.
Caucasian rugs are come from the area of the Caspian sea to the mountainous region
which was once Northern Iran and is now Southern Russia. Again almost all are of geometric
design and include such fascinating names like Kabistan, Kuba, Chi Chi, Dagestan, Derbend,
Shirvan, Karabagh and Kazak.
Indian rugs are mostly floral with some geometric designs which originated in Iran. The
major weaving cities and regions include Agra, Kashmir and Jaipur. India has recently
become one of the leading producers in the rug industry.
Pakistani rugs are a blend of Persian, Caucasian and Turkish influence. Pakistan
traditionally produces the "Gul" design which is known as a Bokhara. A recent
influx of Persian weavers to Pakistan have set up workshops and, using the best materials
available, are producing classical Persian and French designs which are prized worldwide.
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