Oriental Rug FAQ
How can an Oriental rug be identified and what are the main characteristics of these rugs?
The main distinction of a true oriental rug is that it is hand-woven. Authentic Oriental rugs have one chief characteristic that cannot be duplicated by any machine made rug. The ‘nap’ of a real oriental rug is attached to the base threads by tying a special kind of knot. And this is typically done by hand and not by a machine. A machine made ‘oriental rug’ will have a nap that is simply stuck between the base threads and the weft threads and not knotted down. Also, most oriental rugs are made from sheep’s wool. For economical purposes, some may be made of cotton, while for the true royalty oriental rugs were also known to be made from fine silk. But if any oriental rug is made from synthetic materials such as polypropolene, polyolefin, or other synthetic blends, then it is most certainly not a genuine hand-woven oriental rug.
Which countries do Oriental rugs come from?
Oriental rugs mainly come from countries such as Turkey, Turkestan, Persia, and Caucasus. While these countries are considered the greatest Oriental rug producing nations, countries such as India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, and to some extent Spain, also produce real Oriental rugs of excellent quality.
What is a Persian oriental rug?
These are the rugs made in Persia (modern day Iran). Persian Oriental rugs that are made in the cities of Persia are usually distinguished by their beautiful floral designs and motifs. This includes flowers, leaves, wines, buds, and tendrils. The tribal regions of Persia usually use more geometric designs in making Persian Oriental rugs than floral ones.
What are the different types of Persian rug?
You can get both city and tribal Persian rugs. The types of city rugs available include Kashan Persian rugs, Joshaghan Persian rugs, and Isfahan Persian rugs. The Tribal rugs include choices such as Heriz rugs, Baluch rugs, and Kurds rugs.
How are Oriental rugs basically made?
The basis of any oriental rug is made of two types of threads known as the warp and the weft. The warp threads are the ones that are in the north to south direction and the weft threads are the ones that are woven east to west. These weft threads separate each row of knots. The basis is made on the simple looms, mostly vertical looms also known as the village loom. This type of loom has two horizontal beams, one upper and one lower, which are attached to two posts on either side that stand vertically, thus making up the loom. The lower beam is where the warp threads are rolled around to begin with and then the free ends are all bundled up together and then fixed on to the upper beam.
Irrespective of the loom type, whether horizontal or vertical, every loom enables the warp to be separated into two sets so that they can be reversed after each weft thread is inserted. Once the basis is made, the intended areas are knotted and this makes the basis for the pile of the Oriental rug.
What are the different knot types used in Oriental rug making?
There are about five types of knots used in making Oriental rugs. These are Tibetan knot, Berberian knot, Spanish knot, Turkish knot, and Persian Knot. While the first three knots have been known to be used in the making of Oriental rugs, their use is not widespread and they are used in very few Oriental rugs available.
What are Caucasian Oriental rugs?
Caucasian Oriental rugs are another classification of Oriental rugs according to their origin of production. Caucasian rugs have designs that are geometric or abstract. There are many regions that make Caucasian Oriental rugs, the more famous ones being Kazak, Baku, Daghestan, Karabagh, and Talish.
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