History Pazyryk Carpet The earliest pile-weave rug discovered in its entirety dates back to the 5th century B.C. It was discovered frozen in 1949 by a Russian archaeologist, Rudenko, in a Scythian burial site in the Altay Mountains of Siberia near the northeastern border of Mongolia. The importance of Pazyryk rug is that it proves pile weaving is an ancient craft. Until the discovery of Pazyryk carpet, the scholars relied on literary accounts about the existence of certain rugs in history that did not specify the technique by which the rugs were woven. Pazyryk Carpet The dimensions of Pazyryk were 6' by 6' and it was woven by symmetric knots of about 200-225 per square inch. It is uncertain what the origin of Pazyryk is; however, it has Persian Achaemenian (a Persian dynasty who ruled from 550 to 331 BC.) motifs. Some scholars believe that because of its Achaemenian motifs, it was made in Persia and was imported. Others disagree and believe it was made near the area where it was found. Currently the Pazyryk carpet is in Hermitage Museum in Leningrad, Russia. Spring of Khosrau In Persian manuscripts of 6th century A.D. there is mention of a rug called the 'Spring of Khosrau' which some scholars say belonged to the Persian king, Khosrau I of the Sassanid Dynasty, who ruled from 531-579; others say that it belonged to Khosrau II (590-628), grandson of Khosrau I. The rug was kept at the Sassanian palace at Ctesiphon in modern day Iraq. 'Spring of Khosrau' was woven with wool, silk, gold, silver, precious and semi-precious stones. It was possibly a garden design. Experts believe that it was a flat-weave and was not woven in one piece. This rug has never been discovered. Ardabil Carpet in Victoria & Albert Museum in London Ardabil Carpets A famous pair of rugs woven during the reign of Shah Tahmasp (1524-1576) of Safavid Dynasty are the two almost identical Ardabil Carpets. The date, 1539-1540, and the name of the designer, Maqsud of Kashan, have been woven into both rugs. The dimensions of both rugs are the same, 17' 6" by 36' 6". Their foundation is silk, and they have been woven with 300 asymmetric (Persian) knots per square inch. One rug is in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England and the other is in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The former has been repaired with fragments of the latter. Therefore, the one in Victoria and Albert museum is in whole and the one in Los Angles is missing its borders. The origin of the rugs has been linked to Ardabil, Kashan, Mashad and Tabriz, as well as other places. Return to Top