Historical background of carpets
 
The oldest carpet ever found was the Pazyrik carpet, discovered in 1949 in the heights of Altai in central Siberia by the Russian archeologist Rudenko. It was a Turkish knotted carpet dating back to the fifth Century BC, and was found together with other ornamental objects in the burial site of a Scythian prince. Numerous references to carpets are also found in the Old Testament and in other ancient texts.

WHERE ARE CARPETS MADE?

The earliest mention of carpets concern those from Cauccasia and central Asia . Today, three countries, or rather three entities, have a nearly perfect secular carpet tradition. Those countries are Iran , Turkey and Caucasia . In addition to the three great carpet countries are countries in central Asia whose populations are largely fethnic Turks from Afghanistan , Azerbaidjan, Ouzbekistan , Turkmenistan , Kazakhstan , Tadjikistan. Also must be added is Sin-Kiang, the western-most province of mainland China . Next in order are the former possessions of the Ottoman Empire: Tunisia with its famous Kairouanese carpets, Egypt , Algeria , and also the Balkan countries (notably Romania and ex-Yugoslavia) countries that were for a long time under Turkish influence. The final group of carpet-producing nations are China , India , and Pakistan.  

HOW ARE THEY MADE?
 
Il There are two different techniques in carpet making :
-- The knotted stitch, resulting in thicker and denser carpets, that lie better on the ground.
-- The woven stitch method gives a lighter weave that has the advantage of uniform tightness and a highly even character to the rug's pattern.
With the first method, the result is a high nap ; with the second, a product that is tighter and flatter is obtained. In Tunisia and the Orient, woven stitch carpets are called Mergoume and Klim. As far as production is concerned, knotted stitch carpets are by far the most common and more desirable than the Mergoums or Klims.

Another difference is that in Mergoums and Klims, there is greater emphasis on color than on the pattern which is always geometrical. Knotted stitch carpets offer a greater variety of design. However, both types of carpet are strong and resistant to wear and age.

MATERIALS USED AND THEIR QUALITY 
 
Materials used to make the carpets are principally wool and cotton, and to a lesser degree silk. The use of one or the other depends upon the part and texture of the carpet desired. The use of wool or cotton thread to reinforce weave or knot depends upon historical, geographical, and economical factors.

Without generalizing, it can be observed that nomadic tribes and the inhabitants of more isolated regions tend to use locally-produced wool, whereas city weavers and those living closer to urban centers tend to prefer cotton. The use of wool in the chain stitch and the weave of carpets give them greater softness and make them more resistant to wear than the use of cotton, because the marriage of wool to wool is more homogeneous. Cotton, on the other hand, allows for a tighter texture.

Carpets that incorporate cotton hold up less well to humidity since cotton will disintegrate little by little under certain climactic conditions, such as proximity to the sea or ocean, or in a vacation home not aired out on a regular basis.

Another problem with cotton content (although everything is of course relative) is that it will eventually wear through and cut the wool knots that are the heart of the carpet. Silk is stronger and more resistant to damage than wool; yet if the knots on a silk carpet are cut by cotton thread, the damage will be more visible than on wool carpets.

DIFFERENT STYLES OF CARPET 
 
Two categories of carpet are those featuring geometrical designs, and those with floral motifs. Another way to classify carpets which is not contradictory to the preceding is to distinguish between carpets woven for commercial sale, and those called Nomad or tribes carpets, woven in villages. Such carpets originate in a rural setting, and are generally made by people for their own use.

DIFFERENT NAMES AND THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN 

ABADEH-Iran
AFSHAR-Iran
AGRA-India                                                        
ALLOUCHA - Tunisia                                      
ANTALYA-Turkey                                                
ARAK-Turkey
ARDAKAN-Iran
ARDEBIL-Iran
BAKHTIAR-Iran
BALIKESHIR-Turkey
BALOUTCH-Iran
BELOUTCH-Afghanistan
BECHIR-Turkmenistan                                                     
BERGAME-Turkey
BIDJAR-Iran
BIRDJAN- Iran                                                   
BORTCHALOU-Caucasia
BOUKHARA                                            
BURSA -Turkey                                                    
CACHEMIRE - India                                         
CANAKKALE-Turkey                                          
CESAREE (KAYSERI)-Turkey                             
CHAHAR MAHAL-Iran                                   
CHAJLI- Caucase                                                     
CHELABERD- Caucasia
CHICHI - Caucasia                                                    
CHIRAZ ou SHIRAZ- Iran                                
CHIRVAN ou SHIRVAN - Caucasia                         
DAGESTAN- Caucase     
DERBENT- Caucase                                                 
DOSEMEALTI- Turkey                                          
ERREVAN - Armenia                                                
ERSARI- Turkestan         
ESKISEHIR- Turkey
FACHRALO - Caucasia
FARAHAN -Iran
FARS -Iran                     
GABEH - Iran                                                       
GASHGHAÏ ou KASHKAÏ- Iran
GHOUM ou GHOM ou QOUM - Iran                 
GORAVAN ou GERAVAN - Iran                      
HAMADAN- Iran                                     
HERAT- Afghanistan
HEREKE - Turkey
HERIZ- Iran
ISPAHAN-Iran
KACHAN ou KESHAN- Iran  
KAIROUAN - Tunisia    
KARABAGH - Caucasia
KARAMAN-  Turkey                                 
KARAPINAR- Turkey
KARS - Turkey
KASHGAR - China (Sin-Kiang)
KASHMAR -  Iran                                           
KAYSERI ou CESAREE -Turkey                         
KAZAK - Caucase/Kazakhstan
KERMAN ou KIRMAN - Iran
KHORASSAN -Iran                           
KIRSHEHIR - Turkey
KIZIL AYAK- Turkestan                                            
KLIM- Tunisia
KOLYAI -  Iran                                
KONYA -Turkey
KUBA -Caucasia
KULA- Turkey                                                        
LADIK - Turkey                                             
LENKORAN - Caucasia                                          
LESGHI -Caucasia                                                    
LILIAN ou LILIHAN- Iran                               
LUR ou LOURI ou LOURISTAN- Iran          
MACHAD ou MECHED - Iran                         
MALATYA- Turkey                                             
MALAYER ou MELAYER- Iran                    
MAMELOUK- Egypt
MEHRABAN -  Iran                        
MELAS - Turkey                                                   
MERGOUM- Tunisia                           
MIKHRA - Caucasia                                                
MOGHAN  - Caucasia                       
MOUD ou MOOD- Iran                                  
NAIN - Iran                                                      
NEPALAIS - Nepal                                             
NIGDE - Turkey                
OUCHAK ou USAK- Turkey                              
PAO TOU ou BAO DAO- China                         
PEKIN -China                                                      
PENJAB-Pakistan                                                    
PEREPEDIL - Caucasia                                             
QOUM ou GHOUM- Iran                                 
SAMARKAND- Ouzbekistan -
SANANDAJ -Iran
SAROUK-   Iran                                           
SENNEH - Iran
SHAHSAVAN-Iran                                            
SHIRAZ ou CHIRAZ - Iran                              
SHIRVAN ou CHIRVAN -  Caucasia              
SIN KIANG- China                                               
SIRDJAN- Iran                                              
SIVAS-Turkey                                                         
SMYRNE- Turkey                  
TABRIZ ou TEBRIZ- Iran                                
TALISH -Caucasia                                                      
TEHERAN - Iran                                                
TEKKE - Turkestan                    
TIBETAIN-Tibet                                                  
TURCOMAN- Iran                                             
USAK ou OUCHAK- Turkey                                 
VAN- Turkey                 
VERAMINE -Iran                                               
YAGCEBEDIR- Turkey                                          
YARKAND- China (Sin-Kiang)                                               
YAZAHLI- Turkey                       
YAZD - Iran                                                        
YOMOUTH ou YOMUD-Turkmenistan
YORÜK- Turkey                                                   
ZARBIA-Tunisia                                                       
 
HOW TO CHOOSE A CARPET ?
 
--The dimensions :
The first step is to determine the ideal dimensions of your future carpet. A carpet should go well in a room; it should be neither too large nor too small. In general, specialists say a carpet should not exceed 25-30% of the room's surface. A space around the edges, whether it be composed of wall-to-wall carpeting, parquet floor, or tiles, should allow the carpet to be set off to its best advantage much as a frame is carefully chosen for a painting or photograph.

--Design:
Should geometrical or floral patterns be chosen? Each customer will select one or the other according to personal taste and decor. However, some interior decorators believe geometrical patterns are easier to integrate into a variety of home decors, and are more compatible with Western-style furniture and decorations.

Foral motifs with a central medallion have more presence and tend to dominate their environment. So a choice should be judiciously made. The colorful “ethnic” carpet that might seem gorgeous in the shop could become, with time and in the wrong surroundings, a bit of an unwelcome guest one no longer can get rid of.

Colors are another point of concern, although an easier choice than that of pattern or design. Everyone has personal preferences concerning colors, so the best thing is to give your imagination free reign, and picture one carpet after another in your home. That way you are nearly certain of choosing one that will give you pleasure for decades to come.

NATURAL AND CHEMICAL DYES 
 
Until the end of the 19th Century, all dyes used for carpets were natural. In the 1860s, the invention of synthetic or chemical dyes was to revolutionize craftsmanship, the carpet industry in particular. These new dyes were mostly derived from tar products, notably aniline. In 1870, dyes of this type were very cheap and easy to use, so their use spread throughout the Orient. As said above, before the advent of chemical dyes, natural substances were used to color the wool. Powdered roots, for example, were mixed with water and then boiled to intensify the colors. Stronger hues were obtained by mixing greater quantities of powder into smaller portions of water. A few rare carpet producers in Turkey and Tunisia still use natural dyes.
 
POINTS TO LOOK FOR IN A CARPET 

hHere, in order of importance, are the features to look for :
•  The country of origin: Iran , Turkey , or best of all, Tunisia .
•  The state of preservation.
•  The dimensions.
•  The aesthetic qualities.
•  The quality of materials used (wool, cotton, silk)
•  The number of knots or tightness of weave per m2.
•  The age of the carpet.
•  The origin of dyes (chemical or natural).
•  The regularity of the weave or knot.
•  The geometrical shape of the carpet.
•  The stamp of quality control (on back).

UPKEEP
 
Keeping a carpet in good condition over a long period of time is a relatively simple thing to do if the following principles are respected :

-- The greatest enemy of a carpet is dirt.
-- The next-greatest enemies are sand and dust. Sand and dust, found even in town, will sink down into the knots of the carpet, and eventually grind the knots to pieces as the carpet is walked on. In addition, dirt and dust will wear down the nap so the carpet loses its softness and becomes stiff. From this point on, the carpet's deterioration accelerates exponentially.

Valuable carpets need to be cleaned regularly. They should be vaccumed at least once a week. The carpet should be rotated periodically to avoid wear on certain heavily-trafficked areas. The carpet can even be turned upside down for some time every 2-5 years to allow accumulated dirt, not removed by vacuuming, to work its way out of the knots. Finally, an expert in cleaning carpets of value should be entrusted with your treasure on a timely basis.

Reputable carpet cleaners will use traditional methods to restore and preserve your Kairouanese carpet. These three steps should be included in its professional care:

-- Colors/dyes should be reinforced with different products so that they don't bleed or fade with cleaning. (Wool is difficult to dye; (cotton is much easier).

-- The carpet is actually washed – water and soft soap are used. This allows for deep cleaning of the carpet, down to the knots and supporting mesh, not only the nap and surface structures.
-- The carpet is then carefully rinsed to remove all soap residue. The carpet must then be dried rapidly so as not to deteriorate the different components, especially the mesh which is often made of cotton.

Mohamed Rebai
info@kairouan.org