When you first decide that you’d like to learn about Oriental Rugs in preparation for buying one of the originals or one of the fine imitations on the market, there are a few things that might surprise you. Because the vast region that makes up Asia Minor exhibits common cultural influences, the only real distinction that needs to be made here is between the two countries of Turkey and Iran. Both of these places are well known for producing the best in oriental carpets and rugs, and a look at the kinds of people that produce these items is useful.
Although the nomadic way of life has all but disappeared in modern Turkey, those that practiced it for centuries have left their indelible mark on the world of Oriental Rugs. Yuruk carpets are often named by reference to the village closest to the tribe of the same name’s summer pasture and because the area often influences the carpet’s designs and motifs. For many years, these people put out the kinds of area rugs that are copied today by a variety of modern day manufacturers who know that imitation is the sincerest form if flattery. Take the modern day Oriental Weavers Sphinx Collections for example.
Here is a collection of the finest imitation Oriental Rugs that come from a company that’s won a series of awards over a span of time for their commitment to quality and design. Their Ariana collection is the best of the modern world paying homage to the ancient trades that went before it, and these are the very best that years of carefully studying the past have to offer.
But the history of Oriental Rugs are not limited to a nomadic lifestyle or the people who imitate it in the modern world. Places like the modern day Istanbul are still renowned for the carpets that were made there during the Ottoman Empire. Some of these are still displayed today in museums in Turkey. One particular museum in that area, the Topkpi, boasts a collection of rugs from as far back as the 17th to 19th centuries. These are decorated with brilliant colors and they have messages from the Koran inlaid.
However, today’s carpet manufacturing is restricted to the suburb of Kumkapu that is an area settled by Armenian immigrants toward the end of the 19th century.