Rug weaving has been popular since at least 500 BC -- But who were these rugs for ?

Rug weaving has been popular since at least 500 BC, when we know that oriental rugs were already making a highly desired treasure for the royalty of this time. Perhaps the most famous rug in existence today is the Pazyryk carpet, which is believed to have been woven during this period. This ancient weaving was first discovered in a princes tomb at Pazyryk, near outer mongolia, back in 1949.

Some of the best oriental rugs have been woven on the most basic looms. Of these the village weaving loom is the simplest, with the rug making process carried out between two horizontal beams which are themselves attached to two vertical poles. The rug itself is woven by skilled rug makers that patiently knot short pieces of yarn onto a mass of vertical threads, known as warps. A skillful weaver can tie as many as 8000 knots every day, and weave a 6ft by 4ft rug in about a month.

One of the biggest changes faced by rug makers came about with the introduction of chemical dyes to the process of making rugs. Up until this time wool rugs would often 'streak' over time, making an effect known as 'abrash'. Rugs made using the new chemical dyes were far more permanent, and so processes were created to deliberately 'streak' the rugs and recreate the 'abrash' effect. This allowed rug makers to weave authentic looking mass market copies of oriental and persian rugs.

March 12th 2005

By: Paul Goodwin
Website: http://www.a-to-z-of-rugs.com

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