Antique Rugs

One of the valuable benefits of my intense involvement in Armenia since its independence in 1991has been the opportunity to find and purchase truly wonderful and surprising antique carpets.  Of course there are the Kazaks, Lori’s, Karabagh, and other Armenian rugs highly prized throughout the world.  And there are the Shirvan’s, Seychour, and other interesting rugs from elsewhere in the Caucasus.  But probably the most intriguing are the peculiar finds from entirely different parts of the weaving world.  Since Armenians have been rug weaving people for at least a couple thousand years, the weaving community is an eclectic collection of peoples, many returned from years and even generations in other places, including Iran, Eastern Turkey (Western Armenia), Bessarabia, Afghanistan and more.  With them, they brought treasured rugs they had made or owned from these faraway places.  I am not sure how to explain it, but the examples I am able to procure from these known categories tend to be truly exceptional and unusual.  I thought I knew what a Hamadan, Belouch or Bakhtiari looked like until I discovered examples in Armenia that were like nothing I had ever seen before.  And fantastic!  Wonderful handspun wool, great natural dyes,and that rarest quality of all - character - the intense, joyful spirit youfind in products woven by a person of great skill as a gift for those they cherish most.  These wonderful heirlooms were treated with obvious care by their owners for years, so by and large ourantiques are in excellent condition with minimal or no repairs.  What a joy to find them, buy them and own them.  So with a touch of melancholy at their passing from our warehouse, we set to the business of finding loving homes for great carpets.  Browse our collection of antique rugs, including antique Oriental rugs, antique Chinese rugs, and antique Caucasian rugs, at the Tufenkian Outlet.