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Return To Rugs Article Archive   Search the Article Archives The Many Uses of Hand-Made Decorative Oriental Rugs By Marc Beharry Today we think of decorative Oriental hand-woven wool rugs primarily as a floor covering, and occasionally as a wall decoration. But, thousands of years ago, when the art of rug weaving was being perfected, dozens of practical uses were attributed to rugs and carpets. The first famous use was as prayer rugs, which most of us are familiar with. A small three by five foot rug could be transported where ever the owner traveled. And consider many of the peoples inhabiting the ancient Middle-East were nomadic. Today we think of decorative Oriental hand-woven wool rugs primarily as a floor covering, and occasionally as a wall decoration. But, thousands of years ago, when the art of rug weaving was being perfected, dozens of practical uses were attributed to rugs and carpets. The first famous use was as prayer rugs, which most of us are familiar with. A small three by five foot rug could be transported where ever the owner traveled. And consider many of the peoples inhabiting the ancient Middle-East were nomadic. Traveling constantly brought about a few other uses like saddle rugs, emergency protection from the elements, communication and even as currency. Saddle rugs, for horses and camels today, are primarily used for padding the back of the animal so a saddle can be placed on top. For long nomadic trips through the desert, a rug can also be placed on top of the saddle and around the torso of the rider. Thick, durable wool rugs provide good protection from sandstorms and extreme temperatures. How were these rugs and carpets used as vehicles for communication? It is believed that families separated by large geographic distances sent messages to each other via rugs and carpets. In addition, important events, people and histories have been recorded with pictorial detail. These skilled rug and carpet weavers have drawn descriptive stories into rugs like paintings. There is no doubt that this is an art form. Finally, these textiles were used for barter and currency. Many of the masses in that time period considered their rugs the most valuable material items they possessed. Hand-woven wool carpets and rugs represent a standard of quality and craftsmanship whereby a definitive value can be determined and compared to others. Therefore, we can see that our perception of what these ornate textiles can be used for is narrow. The people who first started making and using them thousands of years ago were much more imaginative in terms of finding practical applications for them. About the Author: http://nazmiyalantiquerugs.com/news keywords: Rugs | Area Rugs | Carpet Art Deco Floor Tile

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