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Rugs 101 - Information Center for Oriental Rugs
History of Oriental Rugs
The history of oriental rugs is as old and debated as the religions that we base our beliefs upon.  
Rug weaving is one of the world’s oldest and most untouched art forms.  While many of the
designs and production techniques have changed, the underlying basics of oriental rugs and the
amazing art form behind them remains virtually unchanged for nearly the last 3000 years.  While
the history behind oriental rugs is intriguing and long, it is also confusing.  While many references
to oriental rugs are made in famous historical documents such as the Bible, and Homer’s Illiad,
most of the information that is gathered on oriental rugs must be taken form existing rugs and
antique rug fragments.  This lack of information is due to changing languages in the middle-east
and the lack of existing written texts documenting oriental rug production and advances.

Why do rugs exist:
 Lets begin with why rugs exist at all.  There are two prevailing theories as to why rugs
were created and have developed into the art form we know, and each of these theories is
debated heavily.  These debates represent the never-ending struggle between form and
function.  The first theory gives credit to the nomadic and village peoples of the ancient
middle-east.  This theory contends that such ancient peoples created piled carpets using
crude and available materials in order to provide protection against the harsh elements.  
This means that rugs were originally mad for completely utilitarian use and had no artistic
value whatsoever.  These piled textiles could be used for anything from floor coverings, to
saddle blankets or tent covering, etc.  This theory would also contend that the origins of
oriental rug making began on horizontal, portable looms that would have been better
suited for a nomadic lifestyle.
 The second theory for the beginnings of oriental rugs contends that rugs were created
for use as decoration.  This theory credits a more civilized and centralized group of people
with the creation of one of the worlds greatest art forms.  This theory also depicts such
people weaving the world’s first oriental rugs on vertical, permanent looms, using fine
grade materials and intricate processes to create aesthetic art.
 The author would contend that neither theory is correct, but that the reality behind the
creation of oriental rugs is a combination of the two.  Taking into account the lifestyles of
some of the people that still exist in harsh conditions in rug weaving areas today, it is safe
to say that rugs were partially created for utilitarian use.  But the fact also remains that
when making this art, it takes just as long to make an artful rug as it does to create a basic
rug.  If a person is to place so much effort into creating such an object, it might as well
serve two functions.  Even today, evidence exists in some semi-nomadic cultures in which
intricate art is used for utilitarian purpose. The bakhtiari tribe uses very intricate, beautiful
pile textile as saddle blankets and salt bags, but much effort is placed in having these
objects reflect the culture and art that these people live with.  Inevitably, some rug
creations would be finer than others, and some weavers would have more skill in
designing and creating these beautiful works, prompting some weavers to use finer
materials and processes.

Using ancient rugs to tell us a story:
Because of the different and contrasting references to oriental rugs in ancient literature,
it is nearly impossible to determine the geographical region or time period in which the
first oriental rugs appeared.  Because the primary materials that are used in the creation
of oriental rugs are natural fibers such as wool, cotton, and silk, rugs are constantly
subject to eventual deterioration.  When well maintained, rugs can last many decades if
not centuries.  But inevitably, all natural fibers succomb to time, and in the case of wool
fibers, eventually crystallize and turn in to a powder.  Consequently, examples of extremely
old and rare oriental rugs are hard to find, and are therefore also extremely valuable.
Because of this, historians and rug enthusiasts are required to rely upon just a few
examples of ancient textile to determine what little we know about this timeless artform.  
With major discoveries taking place as little as just 50 years ago, scientist and historians
have recreated histories for the processes and cultures behind oriental rugs based upon
existing antique carpets and carpet fragments.
The most famous existing ancient rug is known as the Pazyryk, or Altai carpet.  This is
the world’s oldest known existing carpet that is nearly intact and is in good condition.  In
the summer of 1949, a team of Russian archaeologists, led by Sergei I. Rudenko,
uncovered an ancient burial tomb in the Highland Valleys of the Altai Mountains in Siberia.  
In the local Telengit language, this area is known as the Pazyryk, or the Valley of the Dead.  
This area is aptly named due to the number of tombs that have been found there, a total of
21 since the first was found in 1929.  Each tomb is called a “kurgan”, and five of the 21
tombs found were those of a tsar.  The tomb in which the Pazyryk carpet was found was
believed to have been created in the 4th or 5th centuries B.C.  The builders of these tombs
were early nomadic people that have been termed as Scythians.  The Pazyryk Carpet was
found in the kurgan of a Scythian warrior prince.  This tomb had been disturbed centuries
before by grave robbers, with the intruder taking only metals and precious stones, leaving
behind a rug and a few other imported objects.  In a hasty escape, the robbers left the
tomb open and damaged.  By leaving the tomb open, the thieves inadvertently preserved
the Pazyryk carpet nearly perfectly.  When the seasonal rains came, the tomb flooded and
eventually froze the entire tomb in a block of ice, including the carpet.  When the Russian
team found the tomb in 1949, the artifacts were still wonderfully preserved within the ice,
providing the rug community with the oldest, nearly intact rug in the world.
Carbon dating provided in 1994 by the State Hermitage Museum and the Institute of
Technology in St. Petersburg confirmed that the Pazyryk carpet is as old as 440-360 B.C.  
That’s approximately 2500 years old!  Not to mention that beyond its age, the design and
quality of the weave is absolutely amazing.  The carpet is composed of approximately 240
symmetrical knots per square inch, which was previously thought to be beyond the
methods and technology of the time.  Construction of this nature changed what the world
knew about textile construction of ancient times.  The size of the rug is 6x6.5 ft (1.83x1.98
m.)  The color palette is composed of a terra cotta colored central field, with the design
composed of blues, yellows, and beiges.  The design itself is relatively simple.  The field
design contains repeating cross-like symbols which resemble roof and floor tiles
produced by ancient Armenians and Persians.  This would lead some people to attribute
the workmanship of the rug to the Armenians, but the same tiled cross pattern is
displayed in multiple areas among Europe, often symbolizing divine light, or even “God the
Creator.”
Surrounding the repeating tile central field are five concentric borders.  The first border
on the inside is a repeating pattern where octagons resembling the popular gul motif are
displayed.  The second border shows a procession of elks.  The design and coloration of
these elks are similar to those found in many places in the middle east, but due to the
markings on the shoulders, can be traced more accurately to areas surrounding the
ancient Persian capital of Persepolis.  Nearly exact replications of these motifs are found
in paintings, statues, and stone reliefs in this area.  The third border exhibits a repeating
pattern of the same tiles that are represented in the central field.  The fourth border, which
is the largest and the most ornate, is filled with clues and hints as to who is responsible
for the creation of this rug.  This border showcases a procession of detailed horsemen.  
Each side of this nearly square rug as seven horsemen, the number of horses that were
often buried with high ranking Armenian officials in order to make the transition into the
afterlife as easy as possible.  The riders of these horses are comforted by saddle-
blankets that display a pattern which is indistinguishable.  Some of these riders are
dismounted and lead their horses by walking on their left side.  This is again a design
found in artifacts near the ancient capitol of Persepolis, leading most historians to
attribute Persian workmanship to this rug.
And so this is a general idea of how the history of oriental rugs is constructed.  To truly
pinpoint the who, where, when, and how of oriental rugs may very well be impossible, but
the history of oriental carpets is an outstanding and constantly unfolding story.  It is also
one that is too large and uncharted to be immediatley researched and explained.