Mythical Origin of Carpets

Often associated with wealth and majesty, oriental carpets and rugs are heavily steeped in the tales and legends of middle-Eastern beliefs. Read the three examples below about the value and magical associations of carpets. Caesar and Cleopatra In Ancient Egyptian legend dating back to the year 48 BC, Cleopatra’s first meeting with Julius Caesar is an incredibly intriguing story. Legend says that Cleopatra arranged to meet Caesar intimately by having herself rolled up in a carpet which was then delivered to Caesar’s quarters. With the help of her servant Apollodorus, the two travelled across the water by night to Alexandria harbour so that Cleopatra could be smuggled into the palace, past the guards, wrapped up in the carpet. What was an assumed gift was unrolled before the 52-year-old Caesar, to reveal the beautiful and captivating Cleopatra. The young Queen used all her charm and intelligence in order to get Caesar’s help in settling the struggle for the throne. Cleopatra then became Caesar’s mistress and he used his army to defeat and destroy her brother and enemy Ptolemy XIII, bringing order back to the Egypt. Soloman’s Flying Carpet In the Qur’an it is stated that Allah gave Soloman the ability to command the winds. The Muslim tradition follows that Soloman used a carpet to travel around on which was carried by the winds. Said to be made of green silk with golden weaving, the carpet allowed him to travel a two-month journey in less than a day. One Thousand And One Nights Also known as the Arabia Nights, this collection of West and South Asian stories includes many references to magical carpets. The idea of a magical or flying carpet as an element in Arabian and Persian mythologies is now very common in modern fantasy. One story tells how Prince Husain travels to Bisnagar in India and buys a magic carpet. The eldest son of the Sultan of the Indies then flew around on this magical carpet.