Course Outline

• Introduction
  • Introduction to Oriental Rugs
    • What are Oriental Rugs?
    • Dictionary definition of Oriental Rugs
    • Typical characteristics of an Oriental Rug
  • The History of Oriental Rugs
    • When and where did the Oriental rugs originate?
    • How did Oriental rugs reach the Western Civilizations?
    • What is the current scenario of the Oriental rug market in the world now?
• Construction of an Oriental Rug
  • Fibers
    • Wool
    • Silk
    • Cotton
    • Rayon
    • Man-made Fibers
  • Fiber Identification
  • Spinning of Yarns
  • Dyes
    • Natural Dyes
    • Dyeing with Natural Dyes
      • Mordant
      • Indigo Dye
      • Brown Dyes
    • Synthetic Dyes
    • Distinguishing Between Natural & Synthetic Dyes
    • Abrash
  • Weaving
    • Weaving Process
    • Knots
    • Flat Weaving
    • Distinguishing Between an Oriental Rug and a Machine-made Copy
• Design Elements of an Oriental Rug
  • Field
  • Border
  • Edge
  • End
  • Fringe
  • Skirt
  • Patterns or Motifs used in Oriental Rugs
• Classification of Oriental Rugs
  • According to size and use
  • According to the lifestyle of the weaver
  • According to the place of origin
    • Rugs of Anatolia/Turkey
    • Rugs of Caucasus
    • Rugs of Central Asia (Afghanistan, Kazakhistan, Kyrghistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan)
    • Rugs of China and East Turkestan
    • Rugs of India and Pakistan
    • Rugs of Persia or Iran
    • Rugs of Rumania
    • Rugs of Tibet and Nepal
• What makes an Oriental Rug Valuable?
  • Material
  • Origin
  • Design
  • Condition
  • Rarity
• Cleaning of Oriental Rugs
  • Inspection, Measurement and Classification
    • Inspection
    • Measurement
    • Classification
  • Dusting and/or Vacuuming
  • Pre-spotting
  • Cleaning or Shampooing
  • Wringing
  • Drying
  • Final Inspection
  • Cleaning Silk Rugs
• Assignment