A Brief History of the Oriental Rug

The term “Oriental” rug has come to mean a rug regardless of how it was produced or what its origin is that has a traditional pattern to it. This, however, was not always the case. And, in fact, today a true Oriental area rug is produced by hand in Persia, Turkey, India or other country in that same vicinity. And here’s why that is true….

Rug history has to start in pre-history. Almost all of humanity was concentrated at that time in the near or mid-east and almost every tribe made (wove or hand knotted) rugs. Because of that history, modern (well more modern) Oriental area rug production started in Persia and the surrounding countries.

Modern rug creation can be traced to the Middle East and the start of the 16th Century. Masterpiece of area rug art came flowing out of this area, so great was their supremacy that the cities that created these rugs are still known today, their names becoming the patterns we know and love. Tabriz, Kashan, Herat, and Kerman, all centers of rug production, have become house hold names in the area rug industry.

Because of the popularity of these hand made rugs, demand in the west became so great that new materials, dyes, and looming processes were needed to speed up the creation of oriental area rugs. This occurred in the last part of the 1800’s and although the production became mechanized, the designs that were created in Persia remained and became the hallmarks of the area rug industry.

So, as you can see, an Oriental rug can come from many places but its roots lie in the artistry and craftsmanship of the hand tufters and weavers of Persia.

Check out our hundreds of traditional oriental style rugs.