The beauty of a carpet can be admired by anyone as a work of art. Carpets made centuries ago were famed for their exquisite colours, designs, weaves and forms, and were a sign of richness and grandeur.
The world’s oldest surviving carpet is called the “Pazyryk” and dates back to the 4th or 5th century BC. It measures 200 x 183cm and has around 360,000 knots per square metre. The more knots per square metre, the richer the carpet looks.
Carpets have been used to cover walls, tables and floors for a very long time. Traditionally, carpets were treated like heirlooms, expected to last for well over 30 years. A thick carpet conveys a sense of opulence and luxury. Today, carpets are extensively used in the hospitality sector for commercial purposes and in residences for comfort and style.
There are many different manufacturing processes involved in making a carpet, whether it is made for domestic or industrial use. Carpets can be woven, tufted, loop pile, hand knotted or needle felt.
Woven carpets are the most expensive as intricate motifs can be created from various designs. Like weaving cloth on a loom, woven carpets are also produced on large looms using many coloured yarns. Tufted carpets are mostly inexpensive and can be made on machines using one colour or non-coloured yarn. If non-coloured yarns are used, the carpet needs to be dyed later. In tufted carpets, fibres are twisted to make yarns and then tufted into a carpet. Tufting machines are able to produce many carpets per hour, but with only basic patterns.
Loop pile carpets are generally rough in texture and can bear a lot of wear and tear. In a hand knotted pile carpet, the weft (horizontal thread) alternates with an extra weft that comes out at right angles on the surface. This extra weft thread is tied up to the warp (vertical thread) by a knot to form a pile for the carpet. Needle felt is a technologically advanced method of making a carpet. Needle felt carpets are made using synthetic fibres, which makes them extremely durable and most suitable for areas with high traffic like hotel lobbies and hospital foyers.
Carpets are often recognised by their country of origin – Turkish carpets (known as kilim) are supposed to be most sought after, Persian and Anatolian carpets are mostly made from wool, Indian and Pakistani carpets have classic designs, Spanish carpets have heavy designs and often incorporate pomegranate and wreath motifs, French carpets are densely decorated with flowers and mythological scenes, and English carpets are often decorated with vines and blossoms.
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