Rug-making is one of the oldest crafts known to humankind, and can be traced back through the ages to various civilizations and societies. It is believed that nomadic Eurasian, Mongolian, and Siberian tribes first engaged in rug-making thousands of years ago. Realizing that their sheep could provide a valuable material for rug-making, the nomads experimented with thick, warm wool, which replaced animal skin coverings. Because of the nomads’ mobility, the art of rug-making was exposed to other people, and in this way the craft passed to other cultures. It is widely agreed that rug-making found its highest and most elaborate, skilled expression in Asian and Islamic cultures. Initially made strictly for utilitarian purposes, with the intention of keeping tribes warm while in the most brutally cold parts of our planet, over the years the rug has become not just a useful floor covering; it has become an art form in its own right. In fact, many galleries and museums around the world are renowned for their collections of ancient and contemporary rugs.
Even though the word “rug” evolved much later than the craft itself, first coined in 1551, archaeologists have discovered rugs in tombs that date back at least four thousand years. The most famous of these rugs, which was preserved from destruction
because it was encased in ice, is the so-called “Pazyryk Rug,” which is the oldest rug ever to be discovered. It was largely intact at the time of its discovery, and it has been dated back to the 5th century BC. The discovery of the Pazyryk Rug tells us a great deal about how rugs were actually made, and how rug-making styles evolved over the centuries.
The Pazyryk Rug was made in a knotted pile style, a common early form. These kinds of rugs were made by hand and required no primitive or sophisticated needles, looms, or machinery of any sort. Nevertheless, one need only glance at these rugs to realize that their makers possessed a keen artistic eye; their designs are complex and richly detailed, not just in their design, but in their color as well. As the rug made its way into other cultures, those cultures adapted rug-making to fit their own local needs and their individual ingenuity. Both vertical and horizontal looms were developed. Knotting styles diversified, as did designs. New touches were added, such as fringe finishes on the corners and edges of rugs. Another important evolution was the introduction of new materials into the rug-making process.
While the nomadic tribes had relied upon wool because it was readily available, other societies, such as the Chinese, chose to experiment with other materials, such as silk. Diverse natural products such as seeds and plants, continued to be used for dying. In no case, however, were non-natural materials used. Today, many rugs are machine-made; however, the art and craft of rug-making has not died by any means. Persian and Oriental rugs are still handmade by proud craftspeople who uphold centuries of traditions, and rug vendors and collectors agree that a hand-made rug will always be superior in longevity, design, and quality than a machine-made rug.
