The Persian town of Senneh is now known as Sanandaj, and is located north-west of Hamadan. Senneh is a Persian Kurdish weave and gives its name to the asymmetric Persian knot. Senneh has been famous for its finely woven rugs and kilims for over two hundred years. Many fine examples of fine Persian Senneh rugs and carpets can be found in London's Oriental rug and carpet warehouses.

Rugs and carpets have been produced in the Persian village of Joshagan for several centuries. Joshagan is situated just north of the famous Persian city of Isfahan, but rugs and carpets manufactured by the people of Joshagan are more a kin to rugs and carpets from the Hamadan region. The characteristic Joshagan design of a series of lozenges scattered evenly across the field which often include stylized flowers is instantly recognizable, but is also used by the nearby village of Mei Mei. Rugs and carpets from Mei Mei are known in the trade as Mei Mei Joshagan, but there are generally not as fine or as highly prized as original old Persian Joshagan rugs and carpets. An authenticated 18th century Persian Joshagan rug can be found in the Victoria & Albert museum London.

If you want to buy the best quality Oriental rugs and carpets at wholesale prices where do you go and who will advise you. David J.Wilkins Oriental Rug Brokers is a small family business that has been guiding their customers around London's wholesale Oriental rug warehouses for over 35 years. Joined in 1990 by his son Alexander the company became a truly family concern. Customers have the opportunity to see a vast range of handmade Oriental rugs and carpets of the highest quality. You will always obtain the right price, eliminating the need for farcical bargaining, in which the customer rarely comes off best. We have Oriental rugs and carpets at prices to suit most pockets and we can arrange for you to view your selection in your own home with no obligation to buy. So please call Alexander to have a chat or to make an appointment to visit London's Oriental rug warehouses.

There is no precise way to analyse the quality of a oriental rug, However there are a number of attributes to look out for that will give you some indication. The factors are knots per square inch, colour, design, materials used and condition. With knots per square inch be especially careful with antique oriental rugs and carpets as some not so fine tribal and village Pieces can be worth a fortune. My advice would be to always seek expert help when assessing oriental rugs and carpets.

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 have also been immortalized in paintings by Lotto and Hans Holbein, these names are now used to describe particular types of Ushaks. The production of rugs and carpets in Ushak began to decline in quality through the nineteenth century, with huge numbers being woven up until the early twentieth century. these later rugs and carpets are commonly known as Turkey carpets and are widely available.

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 semi-nomadic life, mainly based in and around the Iranian town of Shiraz, and migrating into the mountains of the Fars province during the summer months. The rugs and carpets produced by the Kashkuli tribes are renowned as the finest available from the nomadic community and production is very limited.

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 and carpets were produced in Isfahan, Kashan and Kerman. Not only did their adorn the Palaces and Mosques of Persia but they were also presented to Monarchs and dignitaries of the known world. The most famous of these carpets still in existence is the Ardabil carpet in the V & A Museum London, and a world record price for a carpet of £21.8 million has just been achieved at Sotheby's New York for a Safavid dynasty rug.

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 Kerman's but Hereke also borrowed designs from other Persian cities. Although Hereke produced fine wool rugs and carpets its the very fine silk rugs and carpets that brought it to the worlds attention. Unfortunately due to the economic situation in Turkey with increasing wages the fine silk rugs and carpets have all but ceased production.

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 Bidjar rugs and carpets, but used a softer colour pallet of beige and gold's with soft blues, pinks and greens. these softer colours were favoured by the western interior designers, and coupled with a cheaper price tag than the equivalent Persian rug or carpet they proved very popular. Romanian rug and carpet production came to an abrupt end soon after the execution of Nicolae Ceausescu, Romania's last communist leader on the 25th December 1989.

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 countries. By weaving their own distinct designs including various Jewish temples and iconic images of Mount Sinai and the Menorah (Jewish candelabra), it was thought that it would begin a Jewish art movement. Today Betzalel rugs and carpets are scarce and very collectable.