subject: A Short History of Persian Rugs [print this page] A Short History of Persian Rugs A Short History of Persian Rugs
The weaving of area rugs is one of the oldest art forms in the world, and in Iran, formerly Persia, they represent a large part of the country's history and culture. In fact, the oldest known rug in the world is a Persian rug dating back to 500 BC. At one time it was considered a great honor and a sign of prestige throughout the world to own a hand-woven Persian rug, but nowadays many people are happy to settle for a machine made, cheaper alternative. More than a million people are currently estimated to be carpet weavers in Iran today, with more than five million Iranian workers total working in the industry. They produce approximately 30% of all hand-woven rugs in the world.
In 2007, it was revealed that Iranian weavers had constructed the largest handmade carpet ever produced. It was more than 60,000 square feet and contained 2.2 billion knots. To give you an idea of the rug's size, a football field is only approximately 56,000 square feet. It took 1200 weavers a year and a half to make the rug, which was commissioned for a mosque in the United Arab Emirates. Thirty-eight tons of wool and cotton were used in the creation of this enormous rug.
Hand weaving a Persian rug is excruciating work and can sometimes take years to complete. This is why these area rugs are often so expensive. Rugs can be creating using the long weaving process or with horizontal or vertical looms. Vertical looms are said to be easier to use by many weavers, and can create a rug of virtually any size width and length. Authentic Persian rugs can be found in a number of famous history museums and art galleries around the world.
If you are looking for a Persian rug today, you will still find a number of beautiful, hand-woven Persian carpets available for purchase. They are beautiful and intricate, and considered works of art by many people around the world. They are usually quite expensive and are often designated family heirlooms. If you really want the look of a Persian rug but you can't afford the real thing, there are a variety of machine made options available to you.
A great place to find machine made Persian-style rugs is online. You will be able to view a large assortment of rugs you probably wouldn't get to see in any individual store. Plus, online rug stores give you the convenience of being able to shop from your home or office, and often include great incentives like free shipping, which could otherwise be expensive with something as potentially heavy as an area rug. If you choose to buy area rugs online, it's very likely that you won't be disappointed.
