Persian Rugs in Islamic Writings
Eastern Carpets and Persian Rugs turn up often in the book known as 1001 Nights, also known as Arabian Nights and 1001 Arabian Nights. 1001 nights is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled originally in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age – which took place from around 750-1258 AD (or 750-1258 CE).
During the Islamic Golden Age, Eastern Kingdoms were known for fantastic ancient textiles, ceramics, glass, metalwork, eastern carpets, Persian rugs, illuminate manuscripts, and intricate embroidery. The Eastern textile markets flourished, with spectacular Persian rugs, tapestries, eastern carpets and wall-hangings from the region becoming very important as works of Art.
The stories in 1001 Nights can be traced back to ancient and mediaeval Arabic, Persian, Indian, Turkish and Mesopotamian folklore and literature – particularly Pahlavi Persian work (from the first millennium AD), which explains which Persian carpets have a special place in many of the stories. The magic carpet, or flying carpet as it’s often known in the West, was brought to Western audiences through the stories of 1001 Arabian Nights. In our story below, taken from the collection of tales, the magic carpet of Tangu (also known as Prince Houssain’s Carpet) is a seemingly innocent Persian carpet, which turns out to have a spectacular magical ability. Even the Sultan of the Indies himself declares “I have a great many rarities in my museum already, but nothing that comes up to the carpet, the ivory tube, and the artificial apple, which shall have the first place among them, and shall be preserved carefully, not only for show, but to make an advantageous use of them upon all occasions.”
Our Eastern carpets and Persian Rugs in the gallery also have a magical quality, although they do not fly or transport you to places, anywhere but in your imagination. They have a timeless quality and an elegance that defies the hundreds of years since their manufacture by hand. That is why our clients and collectors find our antique Persian carpets and ancient Eastern rugs so desirable – they reflect a Golden Age, a time in history when the East led the world, producing fantastic discoveries in Art, Medicine, Philosophy, Mathematics and much more. Their timeless beauty reflects a bygone age of incredible achievements and fantastic ancient textiles and Art.
