carpet

Traditional carpetmaking in India, Kashmir, and Pakistan is very much an extension of weaving. The nap or wool is set in progressive layers between the strands of a loom, each layer being patted down tightly against the layer beneath with a hooked metal pin.

Carpets for sale in Fès, Morocco. The carpet trade has been thriving in Morocco since the Middle Ages.

Woman weaving, Turkey. Since Marco Polo reported on the beautiful high-quality carpets produced in the town of Konya in the 13th century, Turkey has been well known for its hand-woven wool and silk carpets. Carpet-weaving originated with nomadic tribes, but carpets are now produced in many towns including Kula, Usak, and Konya.

Thick textile fabric, generally made of wool, used for covering floors and stairs. There is a long tradition of fine handmade carpets in the Middle East, India, Pakistan, and China. Western carpets are machine-made. Carpets and rugs have also often been made in the home as a pastime, cross and tent stitch on canvas being widely used in the 18th and 19th centuries.

History The earliest known carpets date from c. 500 BC and were excavated at Passypych in southeastern Siberia, but it was not until the later Middle Ages that carpets reached Western Europe from Turkey. Persian carpets (see Islamic art), which reached a still unrivalled peak of artistry in the 15th and 16th centuries, were rare in Britain until the mid-19th century, reaching North America a little later. The subsequent demand led to a revival of organized carpetmaking in Persia. Europe copied oriental technique, but developed Western designs: France produced beautiful work at the Savonnerie and Beauvais establishments under Louis XIV and Louis XV; and Exeter, Axminster, London, and Wilton became British carpetmaking centres in the 18th century, though Kidderminster is the biggest centre today. The first carpet factory in the USA was established in Philadelphia 1791; it is still a large carpet-producing centre.