Persian Rugs

By: john alis

Persians were some of the first carpet weavers in documented
history. It is widely thought that Persian nomads used wool from
their sheep and goat herds to create knotted rugs dating back to
as early as 500 BC. The rugs were used in their tents to protect
them from the harsh elements. Soon after that, when Cyrus the
Great conquered Babylon and established the Persian Empire in
539 BC, he advanced the art of carpet making, and rugs became a
symbol of wealth and nobility. The first real proof of Persian
rug craft was in the 1500s AD and is believed to be the height
of Persian rug making, specifically in the city of Isfahan, and
it peaked again in the 19th Century in the city of Tabriz.

There are a wide variety of hand-knotted Persian rug production
methods, from coarsely woven wool nomadic rugs to very finely
knotted rugs made from a combination of wool and silk. Tribal
rugs, such as those from Shiraz, have more primitive designs and
are predominately blue and red, and because the looms often had
to be taken down several times during weavings, the tension and
rug shapes are often irregular. Village rugs, such as those from
Hamadan, are made from finer yarn, sometimes containing cotton,
have a more consistent shape, and use brighter and more colors
than tribal rugs. Town rugs, such as Tabriz, are the finest of
Persian rugs. These rugs are characteristic for their knot
density, use of silk, intricate designs, and dense colors.

Some of the most popular styles of Persian rugs are Tabriz,
Sarouk, and Heriz. Tabriz rugs, made of wool and cotton, are
noted for their precise, delicate floral designs, typically a
large medallion surrounded by flowers and tendrils, and the use
softer shades blues, reds, greens and ivories. Sarouk rugs,
mainly produced in the late 19th Century through the early 20th
Century, are also characterized by center medallion motifs. In
the 20th Century, many Sarouk carpets were being washed to
soften the harsh wool, but the washing process lightened the
natural dyes of these carpets. To meet consumer demand during
the early 20th Century, the dealers in United States started the
process of dying these carpets with shades of darker colors like
red, wine, cherry, and deep burgundy color. Heriz carpets are
tribal hand-woven rugs produced by Azerbaijan Turkish
inhabitants of the city of Heriz in Northwestern Iran. Designers
of Heriz rugs employed vivid vegetable or soft earth tones that
are woven in a geometric pattern. While no two Heriz rugs are
identical, they generally tend to have a recognizable similarity
in design and weaving structures.

Article Source: http://collectibles-articles.com

john alis was born in long island in 1970. he write articles and childern books. he now lives in holand.

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