Few items capture the charm and mystique of the Orient better than a Persian rug, just like how few things can rival it in craftsmanship. Each Persian rug is painstakingly made by hand, and everything from the fibers to the dyes used is made from organic materials. Striking enough by itself, a single Persian rug makes for a beautiful complement to virtually any kind of décor.
Persian rugs have been made in their namesake region (now Iran) as part of a cultural heritage. The oldest known piece - the Pazyryk carpet - is dated to have come from half a millennium BCE, though Chinese writings only begin documenting the craft at around 200 CE. The Pazyryk carpet had 232 knots per square inch, which is about average by modern standards.
Business boomed for the next millennium and, by the 16th century, much change had happened in the preferences of carpet buyers in the region. Depictions on carpets grew fewer and rarer, with more buyers preferring to get abstract and geometric patterns instead. The best known Persian carpet, the classical style Ardabil, came from this period and featured a radial arabesque design and a poetic inscription.
Size is a very important factor for Persian rugs, and a formal convention is used for them. Qalicheh are those rugs that measure up to six feet by four feet, while Qalii is anything larger than the Qalicheh dimensions. A separate class, Kilim, is used for rugs produced by nomadic groups that live between Southeast Europe and Pakistan
Layout and design are considered together when creating Persian rugs. Patterns can usually range from central medallions, all-over designs and one-sided images. Motifs are a big part of design for Persian rugs, and that much is apparent in almost every rug you're likely to see. Different formal motifs can be interpreted to carry different meanings, though several motifs could be used on a single design.
Weaving a Persian rug can be a long and painstaking process. Depending on the size and quality of the rug being made, the piece could take anywhere from several weeks to a few years to complete. Every Persian rug starts out with wefts passing through a warp at the bottom to form a base. Loose knots of colored thread are then attached to adjacent warps, creating the elaborate details visible on rugs. Once done, the end of the warp becomes the fringes, which can be finished off in a braid or tassels. Rugs made by hand can have anywhere from 16 to as many as 550 knots per square inch.
At present, the old industry of making Persian rugs is still a booming business. $420 million worth of carpets were exported in 2008 alone, amounting to 1% of the country's overall exports. About 1.2 million weavers in Iran alone are thought to be actively producing new carpets, so there shouldn't be any risk of running out soon.
Persian rugs remain a premium and classic item for décor, not just because they're attractive themselves but because of the centuries of heritage that they represent. No matter what theme or motif you're doing in your home, a Persian rug will definitely fit in - and stand out - among your décor.
By Fran Sloan