Oriental Rugs Glossary

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India

Back in the time of 3000 B.C. India already had a blossoming culture. The Indian art has been influenced by the three main religions of the time: Buddhism, Chainism and Hinduism. The significance of the Mogul Emperor Akbar (1556-1605) for the Indian art of rugs is similar to the role of Shah Abbas for Persian rug culture. He was a patronizer of the fine arts and particularly dedicated himself to the Oriental rug. Mogul Emperor Akbar had numerous carpet makers come over from Persian Isfahan and established imperial manufactories in which high quality noble rugs have been made, which reached highest Persian standards. Shah Jahangir (1605-1627) carried on the the pioneer works of his predecessor and an own Indian style began to emerge. Indian rugs of today mostly orientate themselves at Persian designs, with partly astonishing results.