Introduction

SOME USEFUL INFORMATION

First, let's define the meaning of "oriental rug". Most rug dealers, and some collectors, make a distinction between "rug" and "carpet" based on a rather arbitrary size, say, anything over 6' x 9'. To avoid sounding too highbrow, I usually just call them "rugs". In any case, for these purposes I'm talking about a hand-woven item produced primarily in the Islamic world, although oriental rugs are also made by non-Islamic peoples in the far east and by non-Muslim minority weavers throughout the Islamic world. Machine-made rugs of any sort are not "oriental rugs" in the established sense, but are better referred to as "oriental-design rugs." So that's distinction number one.

Within the definition of handmade oriental rugs, there's also a distinction not only between decorative and collectable rugs, but also true tribal rugs, though there can be some overlap. Decorative rugs are what you will find most often in some department stores, home developement centers or even some of the retail rug shops and are what most people today mean by the term "oriental rug." Decorative rugs are mass-produced in commercial workshops (though they are made by hand and hence "genuine" Orientals), primarily in India, China, Pakistan, or Afghanistan. These rugs are often labeled with something of a misnomer, usually according to the Persian (Iranian) city which its design attempts to typify. For example, a rug labeled "Sino-Kashan" would describe a Chinese-made copy of a Persian floral medallion carpet as popularized by the city workshops of Kashan, Iran. Modern rugs are still being made commercially in Iran, with the some of the best pieces coming from workshops in Qum, Isfahan, and Nain. These modern Iranian rugs are beautiful, especially the silk pieces for which the workshops are well known, and they do have value as collectibles due to their high degree of refined artistry and workmanship. These rugs are usually not found in department stores but again may be in better rug stores since the lift of the Iranian trade embargo. However, there are still thousands of rugs still sitting in warehouses in Iran, Europe and the U.S., so they are not scarce. The commercial factory workshops of India, Pakistan, et al arose in part to help fill the market demand for handmade Orientals. Rug weaving is the most widely practiced handicraft in Afghanistan. While men weavers have begun to be seen, women have long dominated weaving in more rural areas.Modern Afghan rugs are descendants of Turkoman types woven generations ago in what is now Turkmenistan. Good quality Afghan rugs are made in weaving centers in northern Afghanistan like Herat, Daulatabad and Kunduz. Colors are usually red with ivory, black, and (sometimes) orange or green accents.

On the plus side, decorative rugs can be beautiful and wear well, certainly much better than machine-made carpeting. But on the downside, these decorative rugs aren't likely to be the "antiques of tomorrow" no matter what some enterprising young salesperson tells you, because they're made in commercial factories using chemically-dyed wool in non-traditional colors reflecting modern tastes. The design and techniques that developed over time and have given oriental rugs their historic value and mystique are being compromised for the sake of Western commercial appeal. Granted, if your Sino-Kashan lasts 100 years it'll probably be worth something, because it is handmade and thus one-of-a-kind. But for about the same $1500 you'd pay for a Chinese factory product, you could have a well-executed rug made in the traditional fashion using traditional methods which will appreciate in value over time— if you know where to look and what to ask for. I think that's a better way to spend your money. But I'll bet it won't match your sofa.

There are probably as many ways of categorizing rugs as there are people who do it. My focus here is primarily on rugs made in the Islamic world.
Rugs are often categorized by region of production, but this can be daunting since so many different styles and types of manufacture can be found in a given area, and some regions don't do any weaving, but merely serve as a commercial outlet for neighboring villages.
In terms of general geography, oriental rugs can be categorized into five ethnic categories: Turkish, Caucasian, Persian, Turkmen - Balouch and China (from Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran, and Central Asia to China respectively). Within these broad categories, rugs are often identified by the names of the city or town of origin (Kirman, Kuba, Daghestan), by broad ethnic or tribal weaving groups (Qashqa'i, Kurd, Balouch), and sometimes by very specific tribal groups (Shahsevan, Afshar). Rugs can also be named according to their function, such as the asmalyk ("hanging") or yastik ("pillow"), or by their design motif such as hatchli ("with a cross"). Thoroughly confused yet?

One of the more helpful methods of categorizing rugs is by their type of manufacture, as promoted by some. These categories are:

Tribal weavings of nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples, made in traditional designs for traditional uses, primarily for the individual and her family. Designs are most of the time executed from memory, often in song, usually consisting of age old motifs repeated in endlessly creative variations. These rugs are constructed on horizontal looms and thus sometimes small in size, but larger and extra ordinary examples are well known. Dyes used are primarily vegetable and some natural fading and other weaving irregularities are common and provided the integrity of the rug is intact, only adds to its charm and value. If one considers that the per capita percentage of true tribal nomadic existence has greatly diminished in the last 40 to 50 years, one can also anticipate a slow disappearance of the true tribal rug.
Village or "cottage industry" weavings of settled tribes and their people, made in traditional designs but specifically for sale outside the village. Designs are done from memory or from a prescribed design. Cottage industry weavings show a degree of modern influences not found in tribal weavings. The ability to use a larger more permanent loom also increases the range of sizes found in village pieces.
City workshop carpets, made in both traditional and commercially appealing formats from a written pattern or "cartoon", designed for maximum market appeal.
Royal court carpets of the classical period, the fourth category, are irrelevant here because few of them exist and those few are in museums and private collections.