Oriental carpets have fascinated the world for centuries with their luxurious, rich and intricate designs. The term ‘oriental’ is generally used to describe hand-knotted or woven carpets that fall into regional categories such as Persian, Anatolian (or Turkish), Kurdish, Turkestani, Chinese, Tibetan, Caucasian and Central Asian, amongst others. Within these regional divisions there are further specialities that depend on the size and age of the carpet or rug, as well as the material it has been made from, and the technique which has been used to create it.
History
Although oriental carpets first appeared in Europe in the years following the Crusades, they have been around in the Middle East and Asia for much longer, extending back to pre-Islamic times. Up until the mid-18th century, oriental carpets were deemed by Europeans to be far too valuable and delicate to be placed on the floor, and were instead used as wall and table decorations.
Recent technological advancements have produced machines to do the knotting and weaving jobs previously undertaken by hand, and new chemical dyes can give brighter and more detailed colour and patterns to the rugs. Unfortunately these improvements in technology do not have the same craftsmanship as that seen in rugs created by hand, and as such machine-made rugs are significantly cheaper and less ‘authentic’ than hand-made.