Gazing at a fine Persian rug, one cannot help but become lost in the beauty and wonder that is true art. Art that is made by the peasant, enjoyed by the masses and prized by kings and the elite in every society. A Persian rug is from what is known today as modern day Iran. These types of rugs have been made and prized now for thousands of years. At first Persian rugs were born of necessity and the need to cover an often earthen floor.

The kilims or flat weave rugs are an example of the utilitarian aspect of many rugs. As time went by the Persian rug became a symbol of prosperity and an ornament for decorating the homes of the rich and famous as well as the common man. Even today Iran or Persia maintains a very high volume of productivity.

A testament to the continued high quality of these rugs is their ability to keep their price over time. Many rugs are kept over lifetimes and treasured through generations. Persian rugs are named after the area in which they are produced or if made by nomadic tribes, the name of the tribe. Rug experts can usually identify a Persian rugs origin by its design, material and dye. The materials from the nomads would be of a much coarser material and their dyes are usually brighter and often changes midway through the piece as many tribes cannot afford to have large batches of dye on hand as they are traveling and must make do with what they have at the time.

This is one of the particular fascinations of the tribal rugs as they reflect the lives of the people that made them more directly than that of the Persian rugs made in large, controlled environments. No less beautiful are these Persian rugs made in a larger setting of course, but some of the ambience is lost if you will. The materials for Persian rugs are all natural and are mostly wool, cotton and silk. Some rugs are sold as silk but are in fact rayon which look a lot like silk to the untrained eye.

Ask your dealer or someone familiar with the Persian rug business to look for you. Be wary of fraudulent dealers offering something too good to be true, it often is exactly that. The essential element in a Persian rug is that it is hand made. This may seem like an obvious point but it is one which cannot be stressed enough, machines cannot tie knots! Only people can tie knots. Buy a hand made Persian rug and enjoy it for a lifetime.

Persian Rugs. Antiques.Enjoy the mystery of the past.
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