Features of rugs

There is no real demarcation between where the flowing Persian type of carpet ends and the somewhat more conventional Turkish type begins.

Wandering tribes took their designs with them and all over the great carpet-making districts somewhat similar designs crop up in slightly new forms.

Religion played a large part in these differentiations. The Persians used figures of men and animals in a delightfully inconsequent manner which made their carpets particularly full of vitality, but the Turks belonged to a more orthodox sect of the Mohammedan faith and their religion forbade them to represent living things on their carpets. In their use of colour similar differences occur.

For instance green is used by the Persians but seldom by the Turks because, in addition to representing spring, rebirth and garments worn in Paradise, it is also the sacred colour of the prophet's mantle and, say the Turks, must not be trampled underfoot.

Very occasionally it appears in particularly fine prayer rugs as a groundwork colour, the probability being that these were rugs made for very special personages.