A Journey through 2,500 Years of Persian Rugs History

Greek author Xenophon in his book "Anabasis", which is assumed to be written around 400 BC, puts Persian carpets in the context of luxury, prestige, and diplomacy.

Russian archeologists excavated a precious carpet in Siberia in 1949. The antique carpet was later named after the location where it was found: Pazyryk. To determine its age, they sent the Pazyryk carpet for radiocarbon testing which indicated that the carpet was woven in the 5th century BC.

Sergei Rudenko, who led the excavation team, speculated that Pazyryk carpet to be fabricated by contemporary Achaemenids. The intricate design and fine weaving of the carpet suggest that Iranians held an advanced state of the art of carpet weaving 25 centuries ago.

ANA’s photographer has recorded some frames from a museum in Tehran where Iranians’ artisitic achievements in the field are celebrated.