The History of Oriental Rugs

Authentic Oriental rugs are painstakingly hand-woven, and have been for more than 2,000 years. You might have an oriental rug, but how much do you really know about it? Below, experienced local providers of rug cleaning services in South Amboy, NJ will give a brief overview of the history of Oriental rugs.

The definition of Oriental rugs

The simplest way to define Oriental rugs is that they are carpets hand-woven only in parts of Asia—some of the biggest Oriental rug exporters are China, Turkey, India, Russia, Tibet, Nepal and Pakistan. What about Persian rugs? Persian rugs are indeed in the Oriental rug category, as they are made in Iran. A Persian rug is characterized by its unusually thick pile, distinct knotting technique, unique designs and rich color combinations. They are known throughout the world for offering a variety of color, size, design and weave. Every rug is unique.

Oriental rugs through the years

The oldest hand woven rug dates back to 500 B.C. and was discovered in Iran, but back then the area was known as ancient Persia. This Pazyryk carpet/rug demonstrates an advanced weaving technique, which adds more excitement on top of the fact that it’s the oldest hand-knotted Oriental rug known in existence.

As far as documentation of the existence of Persian rugs and carpets is concerned, the first documented evidence came from Chinese texts dating back to 224-642 C.E., the Sassanid period. In addition, historical records indicate that the Achaemenid court of Cyrus the Great was decorated with Oriental rugs well over 2,500 years ago.

Textiles and designs

Although wool is the most common type of fiber used for making Oriental rugs, some rug makers may choose to work with other materials like silk, cotton and nylon. The fact that wool is spill- and stain-resistant is why the majority of Oriental rugs are still handcrafted from wool, making it the number one choice of all the fibers out there. These characteristics allow wool rugs to stay clean longer, and they are easier to clean after a spill than other fibers.

Another interesting fact about Oriental rugs is that their design is geared around symbolism. Traditionally and in early times of Oriental rug making, the most authentic designs purposely reflected where a particular rug was created. Skilled rug makers would, and still do, weave in the colors, shapes and patterns they observed in their surroundings and that related to their culture. This means historians can trace a rug’s origins simply by decoding its design.

Oriental rugs can be shaken and beaten to remove dust and other fine, dry particles as needed, but it should not be wet cleaned too often. When your rug does need a deep cleaning, take it to a company that specializes in Oriental rug cleaning services in South Amboy, NJ, like Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center. We inspect, dust, wash, dry and re-inspect every rug that comes to us. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our services, or just bring your rug to our shop!

Categorised in: Oriental Rug Cleaning

This post was written by Writer