The town of Kashan is situated at the edge of the desert about 150 miles south of Tehran, Yezd and Kerman. For centuries, Kashan has been renowned for the weaving of fine rugs. The rug weaving industry, like that of Ishahan, was severely damaged when the looms were burned during the war in 1722, and did not recuperate until the late 19th century. A group of rugs known as Motasham Kashans were woven during the last part of the 19th century. Kashan and its surrounding area has a tradition of carpet weaving that spreads out back many centuries, and some of the carpets made here are regarded as among the most drabble and beautiful of all those woven in the Middle East. The weaving of Kashan rugs is done within a 50 mile radius of the city. Kashan rugs are finely woven, although the quality does vary with the finest-quality rugs being woven in the city itself. A variety of designs are found in Kashan rugs. The most common is medallions and all-over floral design. Rugs with a central medallion have a field filled with floral sprays, vines, and tendrils. Traditional colors of red and blue are used also, soft pastels, beige, ivory, light blue and a grayish-green. Kashan rugs come in all sizes. Prayer, portrait, soft and silk carpets are woven in a small format; about 4x6 feet, the same styles are woven in other towns. The kashan style carpets have always been woven over a rather large area of central Persia.

Handmade Persian Rugs, Hand Knotted Oriental Rugs, Wool Area Rugs Hand-knotted Oriental rugs are pieces of art not just accessories for your home. Throughout history, these handmade rugs have been the object of fascination, desire, and status. CatalinaRug.com's mission is to help bring this rich cultural legacy to your home - at a affordable price! Browse our history of area rugs to learn all about the history of Oriental rugs and the weaving methods used to create them. Evidence suggests that thousands of years ago, nomadic tribesmen between Eurasia and Mongolia were the first to create pile carpets. These carpets were woven to add warmth and comfort to their simple tent homes. As more and more tribes mastered the technique of weaving pile rugs, it became a common practice to incorporated their creativity into the designs transforming a trade skill into works of art. Area rugs became not just a functional neccessity in thier tent homes but a symbol of taste and refinement by adding personality and beauty to their sparse surroundings. Today's rug designs are more sophisticated, but they serve much the same purpose, lending beauty, warmth and personality to enhance a home. When considering a rug for your home, there are a number of reasons why you might decide upon hand knotted Oriental rugs or handmade Persian rugs instead of machine-made ones. Quality is the most important consideration. Handmade rugs are much more durable than mass-produced machine made rugs. Handmade rugs are usually made with natural materials such as cotton, wool or silk. These natural fibers last longer and release no harmful gasses into the environment over time. And since each rug is hand-knotted, each strand has been tied individually for greater combined strength and consistency