The tradition of woven carpets has existed for many centuries. The oldest surviving carpet, the well known and documented Pazyryk carpet is more than two thousand years old. the weave of the carpet is of such a high quality it is obvious that carpet weaving at that time was a well engineered and highly efficient art. It was discovered in a Scythian tomb in southern Siberia in the 1940s. It has been dated between the fourth and fifth centuries BC.

Each antique rug produced is very different to the next, both in design and feeling - this is explained in further detail within the ‘carpet types’ section of this website. Carpets and rugs have been produced in Persia, Anatolia, The Caucausus, central Asia, India, China and also Europe. The knowledge to recognise a carpet and to identify it with its specfic name or location of manufacture, is not easy to achieve by reading any book or even by absorbing all the information within this website. The only way to really understand and know carpets is to work with them, too feel and touch them. Although to be able to recognize the difference between say a Caucasian weaving and a Persian workshop carpet can be a source of great pleasure.

The main materials of carpet construction have been the same for centuries, being wool, cotton and silk. Sheeps’ wool is the most widely used, yet in the more nomadic areas goats wool has also been used. In carpet production areas the foundation of a carpet consists of the warp (vertical, from fringe to fringe) and the weft (from side to side) In tribal weavings wool is usually used for the foundation, yet in larger towns and worshop production, cotton or even silk is used to enable smaller knots to be tied, creating a finer carpet with more intricate designs.

The antique carpets that we deal in are obviously suited for use in todays homes, - we have carpets that demand to be hung on the wall due to their age and condition, but most pieces we stock are of a very useable condition.

We hope this website will help you to discover the world of carpets, both a beautiful and interesting, yet vast subject.