It is hard to resist being drawn by the beauty of the designs and colors of an Oriental rug, and fascinated by the artistic complexity of such exotic creations. The facts are that an Oriental rugs, and in particular the Oriental Tribal rug, is often a medium of creative release among many easterners, including nomadic and tribal peoples. To many, the rug is an expressive and deeply satisfying form of art, created by peoples of infinitely diverse cultural, religious, and ethnic origins who inhabit vast geographical area of the East, stretching from China to the Balkans, and from India to the northern tip of the Caspian Sea.
To understand the basics of an Oriental rug, its origin, classification, symbolic and stylistic characteristics is a process that can only enhance the enjoyment of these products. Before buying your next Oriental rug, the brief discussions that will be presented on this site may answer many of your questions, like how do I know if a rug is genuine Oriental and not just a machine-made copy, where the rug comes from, what do the colors and patterns symbolize, which Oriental rugs make the best investment, how to care for and maintain a rug, and other considerations that will be of practical benefits to a an Oriental rug buyer.
The basic structure of an Oriental rug is a grid formed by the crossings of vertical strands , called warps, with horizontal strands known as wefts. Horizontal rows of knots are created by looping a length of yarn through the warp strands, and the two ends of the inserted yarn are left protruding to create a characteristic “tuft” when cut. The many tufts formed by the rows of knots create the surface or the pile of the rug.
Decoration in the Oriental Rug is created by using strands of different colors for the knots, following a procedure in which each knot is much like a colored tile in a mosaic. Although rugs can be knotted in several ways, the primary materials are always the same and include wool, cotton, or, for the most precious pieces, silk.
Oriental Tribal rugs represent a unique category in the classification of Oriental rugs. They are produced by nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes, whose life has traditionally revolved around breeding sheep, weaving rugs and raiding the neighbors’ camps. In most respects, their lifestyles have changed little in centuries, and the Tribal rugs they make today remain faithful to their ancestors’ methods of weaving and repertoire of designs. In nomadic cultures, rug-making is a female preserve, and prowess of weaving is a major factor in determining a personal status, as well as being an expression of the artistic, religious and cultural heritage of the tribe.
