Author Archives: awilkins

Rug and carpet production began in Ushak around the fifteenth century. The rugs and carpets woven from this period and up to the seventeenth century have been greatly valued in the grand houses of Europe. Rugs and carpets from Ushak … Continue reading →

The people of the Persian Kashkuli tribe are close kin to the more famous Qashqai tribe. These people of south west Iran are Turkic in origin and still speak a dialect of Turkish today. The Kashkuli people still lead a … Continue reading →

The Persian Safavid dynasty (1501-1722) is considered the beginning of modern Persia and established the school of Shia Islam as the official religion. The Safavids transformed the rug and carpet production into the status of a national industry. Many fine rugs … Continue reading →

The town of Hereke some 50 miles east of Istanbul became a court appointed weaving centre in 1844. Master weavers from the Persian Town of Kerman were imported to train the local people. The designs used are reminiscent of Persian … Continue reading →

Post war production of Romanian rugs and carpets increased with the construction of large workshops. These rugs and carpets were constructed with a cotton warp and weft with a robust wool pile. The Persian Herati designs closely resembled Tabriz and … Continue reading →

The Jewish arts and crafts movement was founded in Jerusalem Palestine in 1906 and flourished until around 1929. One of the aims was to bring together rug and carpet manufacturing skills from all the main handmade rug and carpet producing … Continue reading →

The famous carpets and rugs of Feraghan have been produced since the mid eighteenth century. Their designs are usually a fine version of the Herati pattern. The Feraghan name is also used for carpets and rugs produced in and around … Continue reading →

Kelim rugs are produced through out the Oriental rug weaving world. These rugs are woven flat similar to a tapestry. They have no pile and are usually reversible. Their designs are mostly geometric in nature and the colouring is similar … Continue reading →

The Caucasian town of Akstafa lies approximately 7 miles north east of Kazakh Azerbaijan. despite being close to the Kazak rug weaving area, these rugs are far closer to Shirvan rugs in structure. The Akstafa rugs are very distinctive in design and are highly … Continue reading →

London is one of the worlds premier centres for old and antique Oriental rugs and carpets. Mainly due to her important ties with Persia and her outposts during the time of the British Empire, in particular India, London soon became … Continue reading →