Ancient Persian Rug Centers

Under the King of the Persian Empire in the late 16th century, Shah Tahmasp, the cities of Tabriz, Heart, and Kashan (in modern-day Iran and Iraq) became humming meccas of Persian rug production.  This was the period in which the world-famous Ardebil carpet, on display in the London Art Museum, was created. It is almost unanimously considered the most epic existing example of rug weaving in the world- over 578 square feet and made of millions upon millions of knots.
 
But what many people don’t know is that this flourishing of the carpet arts was actually sparked by an earlier boom in the 15th century in Turkey as well as Persia, and it went on to spread to India and China.  Though weaving in and of itself was not a novel concept to any of these cultures, during this period each culture produced a new paradigm of rug artistry, each with its own individual style and technique.
 
In addition to these busy centers of weaving technique, many nomadic tribes and villages produced rugs and carpets, selling them at bazaar.  The earliest examples of these more rural varieties date back to the 1700’s.  These were considered rich products for the very wealthy- it wasn’t until the 18th century that they were even considered decorations for rooms instead of priceless works of art.