Oriental Rugs in the Subcontinent, A Brief History

The Moghul dynasty of the subcontinent was, as the name implies, ruled by emperors proud of their Mongol descent. Babur, the first Moghul Shah from 1526 to 1530, was a fifth generation descendant of Tamerlaine, and was thus related to Ghengis Khan. Formerly the ruler of Afghanistan, he overthrew the Delhi Sultanate. Ten years after his death, his son and successor, Humayan, was forced into exile by an Afghan revolt and spent nine years at the Persian court of Shah Tahmasp.

On his return to India in 1549, Humayan brought with him a deep love of Persian art; two of the leading Persian court painters accompanied him to form the the Moghul school of painting, a style which influenced the design of many subcontinent carpets.

It was under Humayan's son Akbar the Great (1556-1606) that the Moghul Empire consolidated its power. Like the early Safavid Shahs of Persia, under whose direction the art of rug weaving was flourishing at the time, Akbar established workshops for the production of carpets. Many of these workshops were set up under the supervision of Persian weavers. Consequently, subcontinent designs were influenced by those of Persia, mainly by the curvilinear designs such as Isfahan. It is even possible that the first Persian weavers who were brought to Lahore came from Isfahan.

It is from the reign of Akbar that historians have gathered the first documentary evidence of carpet production. His chief minister, Abu'l-Fazl (1551-1602) wrote the official history of his master's reign. In this we read that the emperor,

"...has caused carpets to be made of wonderful varieties and charming textures; he has appointed experienced workmen, who have produced many masterpieces. The carpets of Iran and Turkestan are no more thought of, although some merchants still import carpets from Kirman and Sabzwar. All kinds of carpet-weavers have settled here (in the subcontinent), and drive a flourishing trade. These are found in every town, but especially in Agrah, Fathpur, and Lahore."

Carpets produced in the subcontinent continued to flourish over the centuries but they were never truly commercialized until the advent of the East India Company, which opened the door for export to Europe and encouraged carpet weaving as a cottage industry in many different cities of the subcontinent.

At Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, the carpet weavers, who were predominantly Muslim, migrated to Lahore. In the confusion and displacement of Partition, the weavers often made their living at various other trades. Some Kashmiri families from Amritsar who had migrated to Lahore began to try to regroup and reorganize the weavers in the following year. This was a difficult task with shortages or non-availability of materials, no committed buyers or local markets for fine quality carpets, nor immediate prospects of financial return on their investments. They weathered various crises and eventually resumed exporting the finished merchandise to Europe.

There are many designs today produced in Pakistan, ranging from the Moghul Kashmir and Persian designs to very fine quality Bokharas. The Moghul carpet designs resemble the Persian, yet they often have thicker textures and prices are less than those of Irani carpets but with a quality that matches and even surpasses the Persian carpets.

Carpets produced in Pakistan today are also often more innovative in design than contemporary Persian carpets. Pakistani manufacturers are always driving demand by introducing new designs or delving deep into the past for antique designs, while at the same time, continuing to produce traditional handmade carpet designs.

Reference: Bennet, Ian (editor). Complete Illustrated Rugs and Carpets of the World. Quarto Limited. New York. 1977.

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