The Origin And Production Of Oriental Rugs

By Ann Russell


An oriental rug refers to a heavy textile usually made for various symbolic as well as utilitarian purposes. Usually it is produced in oriental countries for local sale, home use, and export for the international market. In terms of geographical area of origin, these products are produced in an area referred to as the rug belt. These region runs from Morocco across North Africa, Central Asia, Northern India, and Middle East.

These products form an integral part of the cultures they originated. The same integration has happened in European cultures and in North American cultures in more recent past. Northern China, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Tibet, Caucasus, Maghreb, and India are some of the regions that make up the Rug Belt. People from a variety of religious faiths, nations, racial groups, and cultures are engaged in the production of oriental rugs.

Most of these products are produced in Islamic Nations, a fact that has made them to be referred to as Islamic carpets. Oriental rug is a term only used for convenience purposes. The rate at which the use and preference of the products is increasing is very high. Today, they can be found almost in all corners of the world. In the US, they are consumed by wealthy individuals who have unique tastes.

Production is done by hand on a loom using pile, warps, and wefts. The warps, wefts, and piles are usually made of natural fibers such as silk, cotton, and wool. Silver or gold threads are usually woven into representative carpets. Natural or synthetic dyes are usually used to dye the piles and yarns used in the production process. After the main body have been produced, further processing is done to fasten the borders.

Further processing also entails attaining even surfaces by clipping pile. Dirt is removed through washing. The color of the product is modified by adding chemical solution during washing. The material is a major factor in determining the quality of the final product. High-quality materials cost highly too.

On all markets worldwide, Islamic carpets cost very highly. The high cost has been a major factor for attracting fraudulent behavior into the industry. Forgers use various techniques to make new products look older, which makes them more valuable and costlier. Some among the techniques they use include re-weave parts of damaged mats, restore mats, and replace knots. The forgeries use period material, which makes them hard to detect using dating techniques such as radiocarbon dating and chromatographic dye analysis.

As a result of the forgeries, it is often important to exercise caution when making a purchase. One should take all the precautions to ensure that they only obtain an authentic rug worth the amount it is paid for. The best way is to carry out extensive research to be able to differentiate between fake and authentic Islamic carpets.

There are many different sources from where these products can be purchased. Example of such places are local stores that stock related products. One can also obtain the commodity from online sellers. However, determining the authenticity of any commodity from online sellers can be difficult.




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