The art of making carpets was probably developed on the plains of Central Asia several thousand years ago.The nomad tribes needed some protection from the cold winters and something more easily handled,transportable and functional than the sheepskin coverings.At the same time they were also making decorations for their tents.
The materials used for the construction of the warp, weft and pile of the carpet came from the herds of goats and flock of sheep so readily available to them.
The looms,in their simplest form,were made of two wooden ribs which were secured to the ground and between them the warp was fastened.These horizontal looms,which are still used today by the nomads,have the advantage that they fold easily and can be moved to the next camp ground.
The patterns on these early carpets were composed of geometrical or curvilinear motifs. The handmade carpets are made of transient materials and very old discoveries are rare.The oldest known carpet was found in the year of 1947 at excavations in Siberia.Named after its place of discovery the carpet is named the “𝗽𝗮𝘇𝘆𝗿𝘆𝗸”
It measures 183 x 200 cm and framed by a border of griffins. It has a knot density of approximately 360,000 knots per square meter. The craftmanship of Its construction is of the highest quality and the carpet has a higher knot density than most carpets seen in stores today. The pattern is very interesting, the middle consists of a ribbon motif, in the border you can see a procession with deer and in another border with warriors on horses.This carpet was probably manufactured in Armenia or Persia around 400 B.C. and when it was discovered it had been deeply frozen in a block of ice…
Among the findings were mummies, cloth saddles,a full-sized burial chariot, decorative or devotional figurines,and cannabis seed with an inhalation tent. When the tombs were unearthed,it was found that they had been remarkably preserved in ice since the 5th century BCE.
The mummies that were found were so complete that they still had their tattooed flesh and hair.
Mummy Of The Ukok Princess the “Siberian Ice Maiden”
The carpet can be seen at the "The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia"
At "The Museum of National Antiquities in Sweden" you can see the “𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝘁”.This carpet is made in Turkey in the beginning of the 15th century and was brought to Stockholm via a small village named Marby.Perhaps the most premier treasure at Stockholm Castle is the persian hunting rug from late 16th century.This carpet was probably brought to Sweden from the sovereign house of Holstein-Gottorp as part of the future queen Hedvig Eleonoras brides dress before her marriage with Karl X Gustav.
In the 16th century,during the protection of the emperors,the art of carpets was developed in Persia and in India both technically and artistically, for example in court workshops.During this period probably the most splendid and perhaps the most famous rug in the world, the “𝗔𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝘁” was produced. Originally there were two carpets but one was sacrificed in order to repair the other. The carpets are considered some of the best of the classical Iranian (Persian) school of carpet creation.They were first placed in a mosque in Ardabil and they measure 534x1152 cm and were probably manufactured in the city of Kashan in Persia by Maqsud.The carpets date back to the year 946 after an Islam count,which is 1539 A.D. and it took three years for five weavers to complete the carpet,which was ordered by Shah Tahmasp for the Sheikh Safi mosque
The best-preserved carpet can be seen at Victoria and Albert Museum in London.The remaining parts of the sacrificed rug can be viewed at the Los Angeles County Museum,USA.The carpet is made by persian knots,pile of wool,warp and weft by silk;with a knot density of 518.000 knots per square meter.The carpet was sold in the 19th century in order to pay for repairs of the great mosque in Ardabil,north of Persia.
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