How did carpets come into being and where was it first used? There are theories for the origin of carpet as presented by Enza Milanesi in his book called “The Little Brown Guide to Carpets”.
The first theory was that carpets were created so that people in the ancient times may be protected from extreme weather conditions and so that their feet will not come into direct contact with the ground. Thick knotted carpets were also believed to have been invented to spare the lives of their pet animals whose hides were used as original carpets.
The second theory is that carpets were used by people for decorative as well as practical purposes. Carpets were said to play an important role during celebrations and traditional ceremonies.
Other uses for carpets include being used as blankets, floor covers, curtains, tokens or gifts from one tribe to another, shelter and shade, and covers for tombs.
The oldest knotted carpet was found in Pazyryk Valley in Siberia 2,500 years ago in the tombs of Scythian chiefs.
The carpet known as the most valuable of all time is the garden carpet “Spring time of Khosroe” which was brought home by Arabian Emperor Heraclius after conquering Sassanian capital Ctesiphon in 637. The 90 feet square carpet was made between 531-579 and described as Arab historians as a carpet with a magnificent flower bed border of blue, red, white, yellow and green stones, with a gold background depicting the color of the earth; clear stones like crystals which gave the illusion of water; and plants in silk and fruits formed by colour stones.
