The earliest known
‘knotted’ rug (pictured above) was discovered in the Pazyryk valley by Russian archaeologists Rudenko and Griaznov in 1949 during excavations of burial mounds in the Altai Mountains in Siberia.
The 2500-year-old ‘Pazyryk rug’ had been preserved purely by chance in the frozen tombs of Scythian chiefs.
We can never be sure where rug weaving originated because the wool, cotton and silk used in making rugs are perishable so very few of the earliest carpets are still in existence. What we do know is that even if Mongolians had been the first to weave pile rugs, it was the Persians that took the craft and made it into an art form. By the 6th century, Persian carpets had won international prestige and were being exported to distant lands.
To trace the history of the Persian carpet is to follow a path of cultural growth of one of the greatest civilisations the world has ever seen. The epicentre of the craft of rug making is traditionally Persian and the history of the craft is linked to the history of Persia. The Iranians were among the pioneer rug weavers of the ancient civilisations, having achieved an exceptional degree of perfection through centuries of creativity and ingenuity. The skill of rug weaving has been handed down by fathers to their sons, who built upon those skills and in turn handed them down to their offspring as a closely guarded family secret. Iran is the genesis of most motifs, patterns and traditional colorations produced in rugs throughout the world today. Over the centuries, Persian rugs have become treasured heirlooms passed on from one generation to the next.
Persian rugs have always been and still are an intrinsic part of Iranian culture and its people’s daily lives. Rugs are in many cases the most valued possessions, and they are an integral part of an Iranian home. Thus, it is not surprising that current production levels throughout Iran equal those reached prior to the Islamic Revolution of 1979. In fact,
In fact, rugs are now even produced in areas where weaving was previously not practised. welcome to Bijan Exclusive Rugs.
