Oriental Carpets

Several women in traditional clothing sit under a casually supported tent weaving an ancient story into a beautiful carpet, in a very distant land. Once upon a time, if a Western traveler were interested in purchasing one of these works of art, that might be the sight he would come upon and the people he might deal with.

Today, however, a very different situation exists. To purchase a so-called Oriental Carpet one need only go to the nearest carpet emporium like O'Bannon Oriental Carpets or perhaps even bid for them online from sites like Bidder's Edge - Oriental Carpets. Although the source of distribution has greatly changed the fascination with these works and their construction- how single threads can be woven into a large work of art- has only increased.

A HISTORY OF CARPETS

Although we know carpet weaving has a long history in countries like Turkey, Persia, and China it is not known precisely where in the East this tradition began. This decorative art goes back thousands of years to its functional purpose as insulation from the elements when hung from walls or placed over the floor of dwellings. These woven works served various functions through time such as cloaks and bed coverings in Scandinavia to prayer rugs in Muslim regions. By the 16th century in Persia and Turkey carpet weaving developed into an artistic tradition. In the 16th and 17th centuries rug making peaked in India under the Mughal rulers who imported the tradition from Persia. In our own time carpets are made with the assistance of machinery and in most Western homes these machine-made carpets and rugs are the type typically found, while hand-made Oriental rugs are considered more of a luxury.

Traditional Oriental carpets are made of wool or cotton using vertical looms and are typically rectangular in shape. Techniques vary from region to region but usually a denser weave results in a finer quality piece. The yarn is either left in its original color or changed with natural dyes. Although the colors and designs vary they are almost always comprised of a border and a field. Symmetry and pattern are important considerations for laying out the design of the carpet and the care to which these elements have been incorporated has been studied by historians and mathematicians alike (see Symmetry and Pattern: The Art of Oriental Carpets). The patterns range from geometrical and abstract to literal and naturalistic with flowers, animals, and garden scenes. The patterns and colors are not incidental but often have symbolic or allegorical references. The patterns of Muslim prayer rugs are always marked by the inclusion of the mihrab which is a reference to Mecca because of the direction the rug would face during prayer. Central Asian rugs often incorporate a coat of arms into the pattern representing the particular tribe that created it. And Persian garden carpets of the Safavid dynasty, with their flowerbeds and canals, could be said to have references to the Quranic version of Paradise.

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