Wool Rugs

Antique Persian Rugs, Hand Knotted Rugs, Handmade Rugs, More...

The practice of rug-making dates back several millenniums to the nomadic tribes Central Asia.  The original rugs were woven from wool and demonstrate a significant degree of artistic expression. Although the weaving of wool rugs may at first seem like it would have been an unusually complicated and even a somewhat frivolous act for early civilizations with limited advances in technology, it actually has an extremely practical origin. Unlike the animal skins that would have previously been used for floor coverings, handmade wool rugs are made from a renewable resource that doesn't require the slaughtering of essential livestock.

The use of wool in textiles most likely dates back to the original domestication of source animal. Though most people associate wool with the hair of sheep, the term can actually refer to several species including goats, rabbits, and alpacas (an animal from South America that is valued for the fiber it produces.) There is evidence that the earliest human civilizations used woven or felted wool textiles for various purposes. For centuries, it was one of the only textiles in wide usage in the Western world.

In terms of use in rugs, wool has a number of advantages of other natural fibers. It has always been easy to obtain, making it more affordable than silk and originally used in a much more widespread area than cotton. It is also more durable than either material, resisting wear for much longer. The natural oils from the source animals can even impart some level of resistance to water. In addition, wool is very easy to dye various colors, which brought about the wide range of beautiful and intricate designs that can be seen in wool rugs throughout the ages.

Many of the Persian wool rugs made for the marketplace today are woven by machine, but there are still plenty of craftsman who preserve the old methods of hand knotting and weaving. Although they are of course more expensive then their machine-woven counterparts, they serve as an example of a form of art that is both practical and beautiful and has not only survived for centuries upon centuries, but has thrived and become well-known the world over.

Catalina Rugs Inc. is proud to offer a unique collection of hand knotted and handmade rugs including Persian wool rugs and Persian Antique rugs. Please take a look at our online handmade rug collection and feel free to contact us if you have any questions about any of our wool area rugs.

Antique Persian Rugs