Oriental Rugs - A Guide on Persian Rugs, Indian Rugs, and

Afghan Rugs
Oriental rugs are rugs hand made in Asia, mostly in Iran, Afghanistan, Nepal, India, Pakistan,
and Turkey. However, because of its proximity to the region, Russia is also a known producer of
oriental rugs. Oriental rugs are named after the area they are made in or the tribe that produce
them.

These rugs are undoubtedly the priciest wall adornments and floor coverings in the world. The
most beautiful floor coverings you will likely see. They are handmade and often spot the most
colorful, eye-catching designs. Weavers use different vegetable and natural dyes are used to
achieve the signature strikingly colorful images and patterns. Making these rugs is a true labor
of love. A single rug can take months to years of time to weave.

There are literally thousands of Oriental rug types, for which Woven Treasures is a trusted
supplier in Melbourne. However, today we lift the rug (pun intended) on three of the most
popular types Persian, Afghan, and Indian rugs. For an item so pricey, we feel a responsibility
to share a bit of history and advice on how to identify an authentic oriental rug so you can avoid
ending up with fakes that will add no value to your dcor scheme.

How To Identify An Authentic Oriental Rug

A few things are worth noting with all oriental rugs. Before you buy your rug it is important to test
it for authenticity. The most important consideration is that an oriental rug has to be hand
knotted, and never machine made. This is main reason for the rugs high price.

Weaving these rugs take skilled craftsmanship and a lot of time. A machine made rug lacks
charm and originality and should never be confused with a genuine handmade rug. Here is how
you can tell a proper handmade rug from a machine made one;

A hand woven rug should spot the same pattern when displayed with either the right or
wrong side up.
 A hand woven rug should show rows of knots when bent. The knots should show a
distinct pattern. Most of these rugs patterns have a distinct meaning and a good seller
should be able to explain a few of them.
A hand woven rug will have an intricate pattern, which is also an indicator of the rugs
oriental quality.

Persian Rugs
Persian rugs are those rugs whose origins can be traced to Iran. The Iranians have been
making rugs and carpets since the time around 500BC. Their carpets are named after Irans
former name, Persia but can be further distinguished by the regions from which they were
made. Because of Irans rich carpet making traditions and skill, Persian carpets are some of the
most expensive.

Carpets and rugs were so central to the Persians way of life they used them to document
important periods and milestones in their history. Most of the rarer antique rugs and carpets
have a special story to tell. Buying one of these is like buying a peak into one of the worlds
most ancient civilizations.

Persian rugs are noted for their rich use of color, with red a near constant in most designs. You
will find different hues of red including scarlet, cherry, and soft coral used as a base color with a
majority of the designs. Blues are also popular. But Persian rugs come in so many colors and
designs we cannot exhaust them all in one article. A few of the more popular designs include;

Prayer rug This rug features a tree of life, which signifies eternal life and is consistent
with a region so fiercely proud and protective of its faith and religion.
Willow design This rug symbolizes mourning and sorrow. It is used to invoke feelings
of great sadness.
Garden of paradise this rug features a medallion in the center of a forested garden
adorned with flowers. It signifies fruitfulness, abundance, and lifes beauty.
Vase of immortality This rug personifies everlasting life.
Afghan Rugs
Afghan rugs are either made in Afghanistan or have designs that can be traced to Afghanistan.
There are different types of Afghan rugs, most of which named after the region from where they
were produced, mostly the northern and western parts of the country. Some of these, like the
Turkestan rugs, are also made in the neighboring Uzbekistan. Of all the different Afghan rug
types, three are most popular. These are;

Turkestan rugs
Baluch rugs
Herati rugs

The Herat rug is probably one of the most valuable of the Afghan rugs. The rug is made in the
Herat region, known historically as an important artistic center in the Middle East. The designs
are marked by fine workmanship and particularly close knotting patterns.

Another interesting Afghan rug is the war rug that features war inspired designs like tankers
and artillery armor. The imagery on the rugs is a departure from the usual historical and
geometric images you get with regular Afghan rugs. This rug design took root after the war that
followed the violent Russian occupation of the 1980s.

Indian Rugs
Carpet making has an interesting history in India. Though the art form was brought over from
Persia by Moghul Emperor Akbar in the 16th century, most of the designs are uniquely Indian
and call on influences from the time prior to the Emperors arrival in India. The Emperor was
apparently displeased by the lack of luxuries in India and decided to introduce carpet weaving.

Most of the rugs and carpets produced during that era were intended for use in palaces. Carpet
weaving is said to have grown rapidly after the King sent his Persian trained instructors to teach
the craft to jailed convicts. Most of the inmates welcomed the distraction and were soon
producing beautiful rugs, even outshining their trainers. Back then it wasnt unusual for a carpet
to take 15 years for a team of 100 weavers to make. Such was the attention to detail.
Dhurrie Rugs
A mainstay of Indian rugs and carpets is the Dhurrie rug, which is popular for its fairer pricing
and incredibly rich colors and designs. The Dhurries colorful and intricate pattern shapes were
developed as a survival tactic after competition from cheaper machine produced rugs had
threatened to put artisanal producers out of business after the countrys reorganization of the
1940s. These rugs have no pile and can be used as floor coverings and as decorative bed and
couch covers. Because they have no backing, they are reversible and incredibly versatile.

At Woven treasures rugs we stock an expansive selection of the highest quality oriental rugs
and carpets. Visit our Melbourne store to explore the many Persian rugs, Afghan rugs, and
Indian rugs we have on sale.