Turkish rugs and Turkish carpets

It is thought that the art of rug weaving is thought to have orignated in the Neolithic age, about 7000 BC in central Asia. Nomadic tribes would have brought the craft into Turkey. The earliest type of rug produced was the flatweave; piled or knotted rugs appeared as a later development.

The ancient Turkish nomadic tribes such as the Uyghurs, Seljuks and Ottomans would take their flocks of sheep, cattle and goats to high ground for the richer pasture during the summer and return to sea level for the winter months. Flatwoven items were used for tent dors, sacks for food, clothing and bedding as well as floor coverings. This tradition still survives today, although in very small numbers as most have now settled in permanent villages.

For more information, see our glossary entries under Turkish rugs. and Persian rugs.
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Persian rugs

Originally carpets were made for the practical purpose of covering walls and floors of nomadic tents. This practice started back in the mists of time before any written records began and still continues today. However, as the craft became more sophisticated, fine carpets became symbols of wealth in the courts of kings, queens and emperors.

Historical records state that the court of Cyrus the great, who conquered Babylon about 2500 years ago, was covered in magnificent carpets and that when he died, his tomb was adorned with carpets. No trace of this has been found, but a carpet exists of this age which was discovered in a tomb in Siberia. This is the famous "Pazyryk" carpet. This shows a sophistication of design and production that proves that the craft of rug making was already well developed by this time.

Carpet making is still of enormous importance in Persia and there is a rich abundance of designs and types of carpet still being made by hand using traditional techniques. These carpets continue to bring enormous pleasure into humble homes and palaces and everything inbetween!

Our glossary contains entries on many of the individual Persian tribes. See Shahsavan, Afshar, Balouch, Luri, Qashqai or Mashad for example.

For more information, see our glossary entry under Persian rugs.

Kurdish Rugs

The Kurds are one of Iran’s greatest tribes. Their warlike temperament has led to frequent skirmishes with other tribes and with successive central governments, who have responded by resettling groups of Kurds in various parts of the country. There are several million Kurds in Iran and millions more in adjoining Turkey and Iraq.

The Kurds are skilled carpet weavers. The most famous carpets are those of Bijar and Senneh. Warps and wefts are cotton, the pile wool. The carpets of Songor and Kolyai have a weave similar to that of Senneh, but less fine. Warps and wefts are cotton, the pile is wool. The designs often resemble those of Nahavand, but are more barbaric. The rugs of Quchan have more have more of the character of tribal carpets.

More information at our Kurdish rugs section.