Persian carpets have been prized for a long time, and they’re still prized today, even if they do need a bit of extra care and attention in the way of cleaning. But what makes Persian carpets so special, and why have they been famous and desirable for so long?
Join me on a journey of discovery as we delve into the past to find out more (ooh – I just channelled a cheesy announcer from the History Channel).
The Origins Of Persian Rugs
At some time during antiquity, at least before 400 BC, someone in the Fertile Crescent area known as Mesopotamia had a bright idea. Instead of simply weaving long strands of wool and other substances into a flat mat, this inventor tried knotting loops around the warp threads on the loom, then cutting the loops open, producing the pile carpet. The result was plusher, softer and warmer – just the thing for softening what you’re sitting on, whether that something was the stony ground under a nomad’s tent or a palace in one of the early ancient cities like Ur, Nineveh, Susa or Babylon. Once the idea had caught on, it quickly became apparent that if one is knotting in the threads to make the pile individually, it’s possible to use different colours and make intricate patterns a lot more easily than you can by weaving. This way, the artistic tradition of Persian carpets began.
The earliest known example of a proper piled Persian carpet comes from about 400 BC, and it was found in the grave goods of a Scythian warlord. It’s a sophisticated piece of work in gorgeous bright red and yellow, with a design of yellow horse riders riding anticlockwise on a red background just inside the characteristic border, then red bulls on a yellow background going clockwise, and a central panel of abstract squares.
Certainly, by the time of the Greek military historian Xenophon (about 370 BC), Persian carpets had got something of a reputation, and Xenophon suggests that they were luxurious enough and precious enough to be used as gifts sent to foreign rulers in attempts at diplomacy. Although few attempts at diplomacy involving Persian carpets could be as spectacular (or successful) as the one that Cleopatra is alleged to have sent to Julius Caesar – she arranged to have herself wrapped up in it while wearing either not an awful lot or her royal regalia. It’s possibly a myth, but the story certainly didn’t hurt the image of the carpet!
The tradition continued more or less unchanged for the next 500 or so years, with Persia (now Iran) being the centre of the carpet trade. In 651 AD, the Arabs invaded and conquered the ruling house of the Sassanids, bringing a new religion with them. This religion, Islam, brought some changes to Persian carpets. The religion forbade the depiction of animal or human forms, so carpet designs started turning to floral and abstract patterns – although some examples with animals and people can be found (probably because these could fetch an excellent price from those who didn’t follow that religion and were willing to pay for fine art). Secondly, prayer mats became a must-have, so the demand for carpets soared. It’s about this time that we get the first mention of carpets being used to soften floors rather than as upholstery. It’s also that Turkish rugs broke off from Persian carpets and became distinct.
Persian carpets are distinct and are the most prized of all the Middle Eastern carpet styles because of their intricate patterns, which are complex and detailed. The complicated abstract squiggle characteristic of these rug designs (and similar patterns in tiles) gave us the word “arabesque” in the design sense rather than the ballet sense.
How Persian Carpets Are Made
Traditional Persian carpets are made from pure sheep’s wool, although other materials are used nowadays, especially for the backing. However, natural materials are a must. Backings are usually made from cotton, as this doesn’t shrink as unevenly as wool, especially if it gets wet. Other natural fibres can be added in silk, mohair, or camel hair. However, the most common thread will be good old sheep’s wool. Because of the popularity of Persian carpets worldwide, the local sheep farmers can’t produce enough wool to meet the demand, so they have to import it from places that the great travellers of the past never even dreamed of, such as New Zealand. For a traditional Persian carpet, the wool is hand-spun – although quite a bit is spun on machines rather than on wheels or spindles to meet demand.
If you do anything in the way of handcrafts, you’ll know how to take care when washing wool to ensure that it doesn’t lose its softness or feel up. Getting the temperature right and not felting the wool is essential just for a woolly jersey; it’s even harder to do in the case of a Persian carpet, which is why if you’ve got the real deal or even a cheap imitation, it’s not a good idea to try cleaning it yourself.
The other key ingredient of a genuine Persian carpet (or, for that matter, a Turkish rug) is the one that makes it so delicate from a carpet cleaning perspective. This is the use of natural plant-based dyes. Although some cheaper versions use the bright colours possible with synthetic dyes (the designers who make carpets as art often use these to get the effect and shades they want), the real deal uses the natural stuff sourced mainly from plant materials: madder for the bright reds, indigo for blue, turmeric or onion skins for yellow and oak galls for black. These colours are notoriously not colour-fast, so if Persian carpets made with these dyes get wet, they could run, and the intricacy of the pattern will be spoiled. This is the other reason why you should never try to clean a genuine Persian carpet made the traditional way with natural fibres and natural dyes yourself.
A proper Persian carpet is hand-knotted. However, because this is so labour-intensive, much of what you will find on the market has been machine-woven. The hand-knotted ones tend to be very expensive, and they are real works of art – best hung on your wall rather than put down on the floor of your hallway!
Cleaning Persian Carpets
If you have a genuine Persian carpet, you should NEVER try cleaning it yourself. Even if you have a cheaper imitation, it’s best to leave the job of deep cleaning it to professionals to prevent problems with felting. Yes, you can gently vacuum a Persian carpet on an everyday basis, or you could take it outside and give it a good shaking and beating as an old-school housemaid would. But don’t try deep cleaning it or steam cleaning it. You will regret it. Deep cleaning is essential all the same, and in a lot of cases, annual deep cleaning by a professional is one of the conditions of the warranty on such carpets.
A professional carpet cleaner will be able to dry clean your Persian carpet. This isn’t like the dry cleaning done with harsh chemicals. Instead, in the HOST system, it involves tiny microsponges that contain enough moisture to attract the dirt and grime that’s dared to sully your carpet but not enough to wet the carpet and make the dyes run. These microsponges are brushed through the fibres and left to work their magic (although they won’t be able to make your carpet into a flying carpet!). After that, they are vacuumed up, leaving the knotted fibres clean, fresh, and in perfect condition.