The Origin And Production Of Oriental Rugs

By Ann Russell


Oriental rug is a heavy textile that people produce for various utilitarian and symbolic purposes. Its production is predominant in Islamic countries where it is meant for home use, sale on local markets and for export. The Rug Belt is the main region of production. This region stretches across Central Asia, Middle East, Northern India, and North Africa.

The culture where these products originated have always treated them as integral parts. The same thing happens in the rest of European cultures and more recently in North American culture. The region referred to as the Rug Belt includes Northern China, Maghreb, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Tibet, and Caucasus. People from a wide range of racial groups, religious faiths, countries, and cultures make oriental rugs.

Given that production of the products mostly occurs in the Islamic world, they are also referred to as Islamic carpets. That makes the term oriental rug to be used only for convenience. The production is spreading fast as other cultures continue to adopt and assume extensive use of the product. For instance, in North America, the product is mostly used by rich people and those who a great taste for similar products.

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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