THE PAZYRYK CARPET 
(OLDEST RUG KNOW TO MANKIND)     

     Oriental Carpets were probably first made by nomadic peoples to cover the floor in their tents. It is not certain however, if the Egyptians, the Chinese, or even the Mayan first invented Oriental carpet making. It is quite possible that many peoples, none of whom were in contact with each other, began to make carpets at about the same time.
     We can be certain however, that by the fifth century BC carpet making had reached a high artistic level. This was proven by the Russian archaeologists Rudenko and Griaznov, who in 1949 discovered the oldest known "knotted" carpet in the Pazyryk valley, about 5000 feet up on the Altai Mountains in Siberia.

"Detail from the Pazyryk Carpet"

     The Pazyryk carpet is of rare beauty and woven with great technical skill. It was found preserved in the frozen tombs of Scythian chiefs, which were 2400 to 2500 years old.
     Through out history Persia has remained the epicentre of the carpet making craft, where it has developed into an art form.
When Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC, he was struck by its splendour, and it was probably he who introduced the art of carpet making into Persia. It is said that the tomb of Cyrus, who was buried at Pasargad (Persepolis), was covered with precious carpets. Even before his time, it is very likely that Persian nomads knew about the use of Knotted carpets. Their herds of sheep and goats provided them with high quality and durable wool for this purpose.
     The first documented evidence on the existence of carpets, came from Chinese texts dating back to the Sassanid Dynasty (AD 224 - 641). In AD 628, the Emperor Heraclius brought back a variety of carpets from the conquest of Ctesiphon, the Sassanian capital. The Arabs also conquered Ctesiphon in 637, and among the spoils brought back were said to be many carpets, one of which was the famous garden carpet, the "Spring time of Khosroe". This carpet has passed into history as the most precious of all time. Made during the reign of Khosroe I (531 - 579) the carpet was 90 Feet square. The Arab historians' description is as follows: "The border was a magnificent flower bed of blue, red, white, yellow and green stones; in the background the colour of the earth was imitated with gold; clear stones like crystals gave the illusion of water; the plants were in silk and the fruits were formed by color stones" However, the Arabs cut this magnificent carpet into many pieces, which were then sold separately.
     After the period of domination by the Arab Caliphates, a Turkish tribe, named after their founder, Seljuk conquered Persia. Their domination (1038 - 1194) was of great importance in the history of Persian carpets. The Seljuk women were skilful carpet makers using Turkish knots. In the provinces of Azerbaijan and Hamadan where Seljuk influence was strongest and longest lasting, the Turkish knot is used to this day.