The World's Oldest Carpet: The Pasyryk Carpet

• Origins in the Steppes of Central Asia
• A brilliant idea from the nomads
• Characteristics of the Pasyryk Rug
• Sophisticated Knotting Techniques
• The Fascination of History

The history of carpet-making dates back to the steppes of Central Asia. Nomads have always led a hard life. They moved from place to place, lived in tents, and never settled in any one place. Because they led a nomadic life, they were constantly exposed to the elements. They had to protect themselves from the rain and brave extreme temperatures. It’s all the more understandable, then, that they wanted to make their tents as comfortable as possible. However, using sheepskins alone had its limitations.

That is how the nomads came up with the idea of making a knotted rug. Using looms made of simple wooden beams anchored to the ground, they spun the yarn from the sheep’s wool they had on hand to create the world’s oldest rug, the Pasyryk rug. According to legend, the Pasyryk rug was likely knotted in Armenia or Persia. It was then discovered by Russian archaeologists many years later, in 1947, in the Altai Mountains in southern Siberia, in northern Mongolia. The carpet had previously been hidden for many years in the tomb of a local prince and was very well preserved because it was encased in a block of ice. The world’s oldest carpet was named Pasyryk to pay due homage to the name of its discovery site.

The Pasyryk rug features the characteristics of classic Oriental rugs and is adorned with intricate designs, colors, and motifs. Measuring 183x200 cm, this hand-knotted, high-quality rug has 360,000 knots per square meter. That is far more knots than are found in carpets available today. Its pattern is divided into an inner, geometric section and an outer section with several surrounding borders. Within its rectangular shape is a beautiful rosette motif arranged in a checkerboard pattern, whose ornamentation depicts a fleur-de-lis. The outer border depicts a procession of moose and mounted warriors. To make it accessible to future generations, the world’s oldest carpet is housed at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, one of the world’s largest and most important art museums.

The Pasyryk rug was crafted using the finest knotting techniques. Nomads employed the Turkish knotting technique known as the “Gördes knot.” This is a symmetrically designed double knot named after the Turkish city of Gördes and is commonly used in the production of hand-knotted Oriental carpets . In this knotting technique, the woolen thread is looped around two warp threads in such a way that the two ends of a knot thread are brought back up between the corresponding two warp threads.

It’s fascinating to see just how advanced the nomads were even 2,500 years ago. Their techniques were so sophisticated, their designs so beautiful and artistic, and yet they were still so effective against the cold and the elements. What excellent knotting skills—and the beginning of a wonderful tradition...