019: Featured Peruvian Tapestry by Saturnino Oncebay

The Andes & Textile Primacy  The Andes mountains are the largest mountain range in the world creating a continuous highland along South America’s west coast. The dominance and scale of the Andes formed the backbone of three distinctive ecological areas in the region. Moving eastward from the coast of the Pacific Ocean, arid deserts give

018: Featured Bengali Nakshi Kantha

The Bengal Region Bengal is a region in South Asia of shared historical, cultural and linguistic heritage which is defined by the Ganges river delta. This low lying region where the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers enter into the Bay of Bengal is the largest river delta in the world. It is also one the most fertile places

017: Antique Deco Rug

China & the Silk Road The Silk road (or Silk Roads) were established around 2,000 years ago during the Chinese Han dynasty (206BCE – 220CE). As the Han expanded into the Tarim Basin (modern day Xinjiang) they directly interfaced with the trade routes connecting the Mediterranean and Central Asia through the Iranian Plateau. Archeological discoveries

016: Antique Qashqa’i Kilim

An Early History of the Qashqa’i People Southwest Iran is both the historic homeland and the most fabled region of the Persian people. It was from here that Cyrus the Great would establish the Achaemenid Empire around 2,500 years ago. It would become the largest empire the world had seen up to that point and

015: Antique Mexican Saltillo Sarape

return to our site Pre-Columbian Mexico The region that encompasses modern day Mexico is one of only a few places in the world where civilization was thought to arise independently. Nearly 4,000 years ago many complex cultures began to form, eventually evolving into widely known civilizations such as the Zapotecs, Mayans and Aztecs. By the

014: Indonesian Ceremonial Hinggi Kombu Ikat

return to our site What is Ikat? The word ‘ikat’ is derived from the Malay word mengikat, meaning ‘to tie’ or ‘to bind’. It describes the ancient textile technique as well as the finished fabric itself. This method of textile patterning involves tightly wrapping portions of vertical thread – the warp – with a resist

013: Anatolian Obruk Prayer Kilim

return to our site An Early History of Konya The Konya region is located in the center of the Anatolian peninsula, the land bridge that connects Europe and Asia, and has been inhabited by civilization for many millennia. It was a commercial center even in antiquity, when it was known as Iconium and ruled by

012: New England Hooked Rug

return to our site From Colonial Times to the Industrial Revolution It is not certain when or where hooked rugs originated. There are several theories – a fun but unsubstantiated one claims that they were first made by fishermen on long boat journeys, using the materials at hand and fish hooks as their tools. The term “hooked rug” generally

011: Painted Lilihan Rug

return to our site A Brief History of the Arak Area The district of Arak and its surroundings in the Markazi Province were part of the ancient settlements of the Iranian Plateau. Markazi translates to “central” and this region was included in every Persian Empire going back to the Medians in the first millennium BC. It features harsh, dry summers and severe

010: Mid-Century Swedish Rya

return to our site Brief Scandinavian History to the Viking Age Scandinavia is a region in northern Europe that shares many linguistic and cultural aspects. It consists of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is sometimes loosely expanded to include it’s fellow Nordic countries of Finland and Iceland as well. The first people migrated to the region around 15,000 years ago following