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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

What Is A Persian Rug?

By Abbie Osborne-Wilson

Everyone knows what a Persian rug is but what it is really, where did it originate, and how was it made when it first came about. When you think of Persian rugs you think of outstanding quality and a craftsmanship that is hard to beat. These rugs are made completely by hand, the weaving and the dying of the materials all done by a person. That alone makes the Persian rug an outstanding thing.

The Persian rug came from what is now Iran, being made well over half a millennium ago for the first time. At that time it was not called a Persian rug, but a carpet, a Payryk. Though not the same as today's Persians still these carpets had an amazing 232 knots per inch.

Business boomed for the next millennium and, by the 16th century, much change had happened in the preferences of carpet buyers in the region. Depictions on carpets grew fewer and rarer, with more buyers preferring to get abstract and geometric patterns instead. The best known Persian carpet, the classical style Ardabil, came from this period and featured a radial arabesque design and a poetic inscription.

The layout and design of a Persian can be different depending on what is made. These patterns will be on one-side, in the central of the rug, or all over. These designs are on almost all Persian rugs that you will find. These designs may mean different things to different people, it just depends on who you ask on what they mean.

Layout and design are considered together when creating Persian rugs. Patterns can usually range from central medallions, all-over designs and one-sided images. Motifs are a big part of design for Persian rugs, and that much is apparent in almost every rug you're likely to see. Different formal motifs can be interpreted to carry different meanings, though several motifs could be used on a single design.

Weaving a Persian rug can be a long and painstaking process. Depending on the size and quality of the rug being made, the piece could take anywhere from several weeks to a few years to complete. Every Persian rug starts out with wefts passing through a warp at the bottom to form a base. Loose knots of colored thread are then attached to adjacent warps, creating the elaborate details visible on rugs. Once done, the end of the warp becomes the fringes, which can be finished off in a braid or tassels. Rugs made by hand can have anywhere from 16 to as many as 550 knots per square inch.

At present, the old industry of making Persian rugs is still a booming business. $420 million worth of carpets were exported in 2008 alone, amounting to 1% of the country's overall exports. About 1.2 million weavers in Iran alone are thought to be actively producing new carpets, so there shouldn't be any risk of running out soon.

Persian rugs remain a premium and classic item for decor, not just because they're attractive themselves but ebecause of the centuries of heritage that they represent. No matter what theme or motif you're doing in your home, a Persian rug will definitely fit in - and stand out - among your decor.

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