Posted by Sometimes when I am cleaning a good quality Persian rug (see this good article), my mind wanders back to the days when the first rugs were created. It may seem strange, but having empathy with with a rug helps me do the best rug cleaning possible.
I go back in time to when rugs originated, perhaps as far back as 5000 years Over 5,000 years ago, nomadic tribes hand-wove rugs out of camel, sheep, and goat hair. The oldest known surviving rug is the Pazyryk Carpet, which dates back to 500 BC. Of course they didnt use rugs as we do today as floor coverings or fancy wall hangings. No they were practical items used for covering tables and benches, used for making saddlebags, heavy flaps for tent entrances, and yes, even wall tapestries.
The very first carpets were produced by nomadic individuals of around parts of Asia countless years ago for practical functions. Due to the fact that the wanderers herded and rounded up sheep, they had plenty of wool on hand to make carpets and rugs. They also resided in a cold environment that made woolen items appealing for the warmth and other convenience they offered, as items of clothing and practical decorations. Fabrication was streamlined thanks to portable, makeshift horizontal looms that were laid on the ground. Carpets demonstrate the long history of rug making in Asia– Persia particularly– and reflect the customs of the time. Every city, town or maker would have their own special knotting method and unique designs.
When I am cleaning a hand knotted rug, I like to imagine the scene a number of tribesmen young and old sitting in a circle around a camp fire, each holding a hand-help portable loom with a section of their rug. Maybe they come up with their own unique design or perhaps they work from a sketched out design drawn by the rug-master. Each weaver would pick out some wool or silk dyed by a natural material made from cochineal, sumac, pomegranate. Indigo, turmeric or saffron.
Rugs often told a story, and sometimes would depict a scene from a battle or particular ruler. It was not unique to a modern tapestry such as the Bayeux Tapestry started in 1077. Each weaver would take a thread and pulling the wool or silk through the loom would hand-knot each strand to lock it into place. Only when thousands of knots were completed would the rug pattern be clear to see.
And so whether todays rug is being vacuumed, dust beaten, washed, rinsed or dried, reflecting on the rugs origin helps me take extra special care of the precious weave.