The term Oriental rug covers every hand-knotted rug produced across the traditional weaving belt stretching from Turkey and the Caucasus through Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia into India and China. Persian rugs are a specific subset of this tradition, rugs made in Iran, the country formerly known as Persia, while Oriental rugs from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and the Caucasus are distinct traditions in their own right. Understanding this difference matters when buying, because each region produces rugs with its own characteristic designs, knotting techniques, wool qualities and color palettes that no other region exactly replicates.
The history of Oriental rug making traces back to the 5th century BC, when the Pazyryk carpet, the oldest known pile rug ever discovered, was woven with a sophistication that suggests centuries of prior development. Persian court rugs reached their artistic peak during the Safavid Dynasty between 1501 and 1736, when royal workshops in Isfahan, Tabriz, and Kashan produced some of the most intricate and densely knotted rugs ever made, many of which are now in museums. The Silk Road carried these textiles to Europe, where they appeared in Renaissance paintings as symbols of wealth and were collected by kings and nobility. That legacy is what gives a genuine hand-knotted Oriental rug its enduring value.
Our collection focuses on hand-knotted rugs from Afghanistan and Pakistan, the two countries that today produce the finest authentic Oriental rugs outside Iran. Afghan weavers working in tribal traditions produce Kazak, Baluchi, Khal Mohammadi, and Mamluk designs using Ghazni wool and natural vegetable dyes. Pakistani workshops in Lahore produce the classic Bokhara and Ziegler designs in fine worsted wool, as well as Chobi and Peshawar rugs in the soft natural palette that has made these styles one of the most sought-after in contemporary interior design. Both countries use the symmetrical Ghiordes knot for geometric designs and the asymmetrical Senneh knot for finer floral work, the same techniques that have defined Oriental rug production for centuries.
Browse by style including Kazak rugs, Bokhara rugs, Ziegler rugs, Oushak rugs and Kilim rugs. Every piece in this collection is one of a kind, hand-knotted by skilled weavers, and sourced directly by ALRUG since 1952. Free worldwide shipping on every order.
