The fascinating history of an Oriental rug shows that men first began looking at creating or improving floor and window coverings nearly at the dawn of human civilization. Initially, rugs were generally made from the furs and skins of animals, though improvements in weaving and also in the domestication of animals meant that they could be sheared of their wool, which soon became common in rug making.
All Oriental rugs are knotted, and scholars aren’t exactly certain of when they first came into being. It is thought that those improvements in weaving helped to create the conditions that led to these particular styles of rugs coming onto the scene at some point. Some scholars believe the Egyptians were the first while others maintain that the Chinese perfected the true Oriental rug.
Just about every scholar, though, believes that this particular rug was not created — at first — as some sort of ornamentation or decoration. Rather, it was developed in order to provide adequate shelter from the elements. It wasn’t until later in human history that these rugs began to be created solely for their aesthetic purposes. Though rug making itself hasn’t changed much, styles generally have.
Carpet weaving techniques and innovations are usually thought to have begun about 2500 or so years ago. A team of archaeologists working in a valley in 1947 in Siberia in a region near to Mongolia found what they called a burial chamber that had a large (7′ x 6′) carpet within it. This burial chamber was the local chieftain’s resting place and is thought to have been created in the fifth century BC.
There is even mention made of carpets or rugs in the Bible. Describing the building of King Solomon’s Temple (1014-965 BC), the bible mentions a covering or curtain of purple and blue with cherubim woven into the fabric. Also, scholars studying the rule of the King of Babylonia, Nebuchadnezzar, found that he prized rugs in all of their styles, colors and shapes.
The Chinese under various emperors over the centuries also were great fans of rugs and carpets. Emperors during the Sung Dynasty of 962-1279 AD set up workshops for craftsmen to perfect the art of rug making. Generally, these extremely high quality carpets or rugs featured Taoist or Buddhist iconography. The Italian explorer Marco Polo brought several examples of such rugs back with him.
Without doubt, the most famous makers of Oriental rugs in the old world were the Persians, whose examples of the art are valued extremely highly by many connoisseurs. These Persians — mainly during the reign of King Khosrow I (531-579AD) — shared their secrets with many countries near to them, such as what is now Pakistan. Khosrow I was known to favor certain designs in Oriental rugs.
The fascinating history of an Oriental rug is also a microcosm of the ways in which humans always tend to take something that initially was designed for a very utilitarian purpose and improve upon it to the point where the making of it becomes practically an art. These beautiful and unique carpets and rugs are just one example of this tendency. They are just as highly prized today as they were 2500 years ago.
