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.