The most expensive rug in the world ever sold at auction is a 17th-century Persian rug described as a “sickle-leaf, vine scroll and palmette ‘vase’-technique carpet,” probably of Kerman origin. It was sold by Sotheby’s New York on June 5, 2013 for $33.7 million.

It is difficult to determine precisely which country produces the most hand-made rugs in the world, but in terms of assembly and export, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Nepal and India are among the leaders.

It is difficult to determine exactly which country produces the best rugs in the world, but carpets known as Persian rugs from the territory of present Iran, formerly belonging to the Persian Empire, enjoy the longest tradition and the greatest respect among experts due to their quality and artistic wealth.

An Isfahan rug or Isfahan carpet is a type of woven textile from the Iranian city of Isfahan, formerly belonging to the Persian Empire. Isfahan rugs are usually knotted on silk or cotton foundations with up to 1.000.000 Persian knots/sqm, using fine “Kork” wool for the pile, which is normally cut quite low. They are widely acclaimed for their exceptional quality and beauty. The most famous workshop in Isfahan is Seirafian. The term “Isfahan rug” may also refer to a woven textile coming from any weaving center in the Isfahan province of Iran.

The world’s most expensive rug ever auctioned is the 17th-century “sickle-leaf, vine scroll and palmette ‘vase’-technique carpet,” originating from Persia, most probably the Kerman weaving center. The Persian rug was sold for $33.7 million by Sotheby’s New York on June 5, 2013.

The largest carpet manufacturer in the world is Shaw Industries Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., with over $4 billion in annual sales and approximately 22,300 employees worldwide. Their headquarters are located in Dalton, Georgia, USA.

The most expensive Persian rug ever sold at auction is a 17th-century carpet described as a “sickle-leaf, vine scroll and palmette ‘vase’-technique carpet,” originating most probably from the Kerman weaving center. The rug was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York City on June 5, 2013 for $33.7 million.

Carpets can be categorized according to their design, construction, pile length, style, materials, age or place of origin. The very basic and most commonly applied distinction focuses on provenance and determines whether the rug is new, vintage or antique.

The best kind of area rug to buy is one that meets the expectations to the greatest possible extent and emphasizes the uniqueness and beauty of the interior in which it is located. In the case of new carpets, it is worth paying attention to the manufacturer, while antique carpets should be purchased from a trusted purveyor to guarantee their high quality.

A good quality rug should be hand-made of natural materials, such as wool, silk, cotton, jute, banana silk, sisal, sea grass or animal skins. Although there are many synthetic fibers available on the market, including viscose, nylon, and polypropylene, which try to mimic the characteristic of natural fibers, the difference is easily perceptible both in appearance and texture.

A Tabriz rug or Tabriz carpet is type of woven textile belonging to the general category of Persian carpets originating from the Iranian city of Tabriz, formerly belonging to the Persian Empire. The quality and appearance of the carpets from Tabriz is very diverse due to the extremely long existence of the weaving center – it is believed that the art of carpet weaving in Tabriz reached its zenith between the 12th and the 16th centuries. The major manufacturers in Tabriz today include: Alabaf of Tabriz, Galibafi Nassadji Tabriz, and Miri Brothers.

A Kashan carpet or Kashan rug is a type of woven textile belonging to the general category of Persian carpets, originating from the Iranian city of Kashan in the Isfahan province. Carpets are known to have been made in Kashan since at least the Sasanian Empire, 224 to 642 CE, with the two major production periods falling on the 16th-17th and 19th-20th centuries. Kashan weaving uses the asymmetrical or Persian knot. Kashan carpets are regarded by experts as one of the most exquisite Persian rugs.

A Persian rug and an Oriental rug are overlapping but not unequivocal terms. Persian rugs come strictly from the territory of the former Persian Empire (present day Iran), whereas the term “Oriental rugs” refers to all carpets created in the Orient – a metonym for, and coterminous with, the continent of Asia – traditionally comprising anything that belongs to the Eastern world in relation to Europe. Therefore, every Persian rug is Oriental but not every Oriental rug is Persian.

A Persian rug or Persian carpet, also known as Iranian carpet, is a type of fabric created in Iran, historically known as Persia, for various utility, traditional and symbolic purposes, for personal use, domestic sales or export. Persian carpets vary depending on the city and region of origin, date of production, as well as on nomadic, rural or urban provenance. They are generally considered the longest-produced and the finest rugs in the world.

The materials considered by experts to be the best for the production of rugs are those of natural, non-synthetic origin that are distinguished by durability, tensile strength, gloss and softness of fibers, and sometimes a rarity of occurrence. In general, it includes certain types of wool, like Cashmere, Pashmina, Carmania, Mohair, and various silks.

The softest rugs are made of silk, high-quality wool, including types such as Cashmere, Pashmina, Carmania, Mohair, or the combination of both materials. The softness of the rug may also depend on the weave, pile length and production method – hand-made rugs are regarded as the most qualitative.

The size of the rug should always be adjusted to the dimensions of the room, the expectations of the owner and the overall décor. There are many sizes of rugs available on the market, from small rugs that are ideal for, e.g. a coffee table arrangements, to large area rugs and oversized carpets that may constitute a wall-to-wall coverage.

Jute and sisal are not the same but have a lot in common. Jute is a vegetable fiber produced from a jute plant grown in China, Pakistan and other countries with a hot, humid climate, and used to make burlap, hessian or gunny cloth. Sisal, on the other hand, is a hard and very durable fiber obtained from a special species of agave – sisal agave, native to Mexico but widely cultivated and naturalized in many other countries. The sisal fiber is traditionally used for rope and twine, and has many other uses, including paper, cloth, footwear, hats, bags or carpets.

A Nain rug or Nain carpet is type of textile belonging to the general category of Persian carpets, originating from the Iranian city of Nain, approximately 150 km to the east of Isfahan in central Iran. Nain rugs are constructed using the asymmetric Persian knot, also known as Senneh, with the average knot density ranging from 300 to 700 KPSI. They usually comprise of a cotton foundation with a very soft wool or wool and silk pile. Nain carpets are widely acclaimed for their quality and meticulousness of designs.

The prices of Oriental rugs vary significantly depending on many factors, such as time and place of origin, materials, workmanship, level of complexity, design and rarity. Oriental carpet prices can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of millions of dollars. The most expensive Oriental rug ever auctioned, a Persian vase-design carpet, reached an astonishing price of $33.7 million.

A kilim rug is a flat tapestry-woven carpet, traditionally produced in North Africa, Greece and Central Asia, especially among nomadic tribes and in villages, of woolen weft on a wool or linen basis. The simplest decorative motifs on kilim rugs have been colored stripes or geometric patterns as well as stylized floral ornaments. Kilims may serve as wall or floor coverings, function as prayer rugs or be purely decorative.

A tufted rug is a type of heavy textile that, in contrast to a woven carpet, is made using a tufting technique. Tufted rugs are made by pushing loops of wool through the base with a hand-operated tool called a tufting gun. After this is done, another foundation is glued to the base and, when the latex glue dries, a protective cloth is added, and the rug is sheared to cut all the loops on its top in order to create a pile. Finally, the hand-tufted rug is trimmed and the majority of loose strands of yarn is cleaned. This technique is less time consuming than hand-knotting yet the resulting rugs are less durable than the classic hand-woven ones.

An Oriental rug is a type of woven textile that was made in the Orient – a term which traditionally describes anything that belongs to the Eastern world in relation to Europe. The most general classification distinguishes Persian rugs (also known as Iranian rugs), Turkish rugs (also known as Anatolian rugs), Moroccan rugs, Caucasian rugs, Tibetan rugs (also known as Nepalese rugs), Indian rugs, Chinese rugs, and, in certain cases, Bessarabian rugs.

A Kirman carpet or Kirman rug (also known as Kerman carpet or Kerman rug) is a type of woven textile belonging to the general category of Persian carpets which originates from either a town of Kerman or a Kerman province located in south central Iran. The most popular design applied to Kirman rugs is the so-called “Damask Rose.” They are usually made using high-quality wool from the region, known as Carmania wool. Kerman rugs are celebrated as one of the finest Persian rugs.

The quality of Berber carpets is very diverse but mostly good, as they are homemade by hand in accordance with centuries-old weaving techniques by the Berber autochthones in North Africa and the Sahara. Berber rugs incorporate both modern and traditional designs which are executed in various knotting patterns, dyes and textures.

Persian rugs are considered the best in the world, however the matter of choosing the best rug for a specific interior is very individual and depends on numerous factors based mainly on the expectations of a given buyer.

Among the most durable natural carpet fibers are wool and hemp, while the most durable synthetic rug fiber is nylon.

It is difficult to determine whether a polyester or a nylon carpet is better as both fibers have their pros and cons. Nylon is more durable but more costly, whereas polyester is less durable,er an slightly more stain resistant. The question of supremacy is therefore relative and depends on individual expectations of a given buyer.

An Afghan rug or Afghan carpet is a type of woven textile belonging to the general category of Oriental rugs traditionally produced in Afghanistan. Some Afghan rugs are made in Pakistan by Afghan refugees who reside there. Although Afghan rugs occur in a wide array of designs, they are usually in medium size with the octagonal elephant’s foot (Bukhara) print, often against a red background.

Persian rugs (today known also as Iranian rugs) are traditionally hand-knotted of wool, sometimes with the addition of silk, cotton and other natural materials dyed with animal or plant-derived dyes, usually on a cotton foundation. The technique involves the asymmetric knot known as Senneh or Persian knot. Each rug is made to a specific design which is either copied from an elaborate design plate or inspired by the weaver.

Seagrass is a common term for various species of angiosperms found in marine waters with soft shoots and grass conformation. It is also a natural raw material used to fill up mattresses and upholstered furniture as well as in plaiting, currently made mainly of palm fiber. It is formed as a result of the mechanical treatment of palm leaves, consisting of combing along the fibers, then twisting in the braid and drying. In the past, dried plants called seagrass were used in the meaning of the above-described marine plants.

All sisal rugs are made from the same sisal agave plant, and are generally rougher than wool, silk or cotton ones. However, a sisal rug may feel softer due to the specific weave – the wider and flatter the weave, the gentler feel – or thanks to the addition of other materials.

A Sarouk (also Saruk or Sarough) carpet or Sarouk rug is a type of woven textile belonging to the general category of Persian carpets originating from the Markazi Province in Iran, woven in the village of Sarouk and also the city of Arak and the surrounding countryside. In the early 1900s, Sarouk rugs experienced a rapid surge in popularity due to overdyeing them, mostly in shades of garnet and salmon pink, in order to cater to the tastes of American buyers. Although experts generally consider overdyed rugs inferior, painted Sarouk ones became regional icons. Sarouk rugs are still produced today with the exception of the post-production dyeing process, and are regarded as extremely qualitative and durable.

Isfahan is mostly known for being the official and artistic capital of Persia in the 16th century during the rule of Shāh Abbās the Great, who not only moved his court there but also developed the weaving industry on an unprecedented scale. Isfahan rugs are still produced today with traditional patterns, including allover Shah Abbas, Vase, Tree of Life and – the most popular by far – a design comprising of a circular central medallion, inspired by the famous mosque of Shah Lutf Allah in Isfahan, presented against the background of stylized vines, palmettes and floral motifs.

Oriental rugs are those coming from the Orient, i.e. the part of the world lying to the East in relation to Europe. They can be divided according to the exact place of origin, age, style, material, technique, construction, pile length and design. The most general classification of Oriental rugs distinguishes Persian rugs (also known as Iranian rugs), Turkish rugs (also known as Anatolian rugs), Moroccan rugs, Caucasian rugs, Tibetan rugs (also known as Nepalese rugs), Indian rugs, Chinese rugs, and, in certain cases, Bessarabian rugs.

A Peshawar rug, better known as Chobi rug or Ziegler rug, is a type of woven textile historically developed in Lahore, and later produced in the weaving centers in the border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Peshawar rugs were a response to the North American tastes that called for muted and wood-like colors on carpets, as opposed to traditional bold coloration of Oriental rugs. Today, Peshawar rugs remain in extremely high demand, especially among North American customers.

A Chobi rug, also known as Peshawar rug or Ziegler rug, a type of woven textile historically developed in Lahore, and later produced in the weaving centers in the border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The name “Chobi” derives from the Persian word for wood, which is strictly connected to the design of Chobi rugs, as they were a response to the North American tastes that called for muted and natural wood-like colors on carpets, as opposed to traditional bold coloration of Oriental rugs. Chobi rugs still enjoy great popularity among American customers.

Practically every new rug, especially if made by hand, sheds wool. However, hand-tufted rugs tend to shed more intensively than the woven ones, and are less durable.

To “hook a rug” means to execute it in a hooking technique which involves pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, or rug warp with a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage. It is said that the process was developed in England in the early 19th century, and today is regarded as both art and craft.

For proper maintenance, a kilim rug should be vacuumed every week at low suction on both sides, and from time to time it can be hand-washed with a brush and a special solution made of ½ cup (118 ml) of carpet shampoo designed for hand cleaning rugs, 4 ½ cups (1.1 l) of warm water, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of white vinegar. However, in case of any doubts it is advised to seek professional assistance.

Polyester and nylon are synthetic fibers and the question of superiority of one of them is relative as both have their pros and cons. It is generally considered that nylon is more durable but more costly, whereas polyester is less durable,er an slightly more stain resistant.

Generally, nylon fibers are stronger than polyester ones.

A rag rug is made by tying together clippings of fabric or yarn using one of many techniques. The rag rug-making was most probably developed as soon as people started manufacturing textiles, however the first documented mentions about the craft come from the end of the 18th century.

Berber rugs are a relatively good choice for pet-owners as they are traditionally woven of wool which is a sturdy natural material, and they tend to be less costly than carpets from large Oriental weaving centers. Some presently-made Berber rugs are woven of nylon or Olefin fiber which increases their durability even further.

The best rug for a dog-owner should be relatively inexpensive, made of durable materials (like wool, hemp, or synthetic fibers such as nylon or polyester) and easy to clean (polyester fibers are considered the most stain resistant). It shall be woven, not tufted, as weaving ensures a firm structure of the fabric. It is advisable to pick carpets without a fringe or a pile, as it may easily get damaged. The best choice would be an outdoor flat-woven rug as it is designed to endure various atmospheric conditions, and easy to maintain.

The best type of carpet for high traffic areas should be woven, not tufted, as weaving ensures a firm structure of the fabric; it should be made of durable materials, like wool or nylon, with its pile cut low or no pile at all. It is worth abstaining from both very light and very dark colors to avoid excessive exposure of stains.

Oz is the abbreviation for the ounce, and in reference to carpets it defines the carpet face weight or the weight of the carpet pile per square yard. It concerns the weight of the rug’s fibers only, excluding the foundation, and thus should not be confused with the carpet’s total weight.

A hand-woven rug is a type of floor covering that is made by hand in accordance with a specific weaving technique, and results in a flat surface, as opposed to a hand-knotted rug that is distinguished by a pile.

An Oriental pile rug should be regularly vacuumed, and also beaten and shaken outside at least once a year. A deep cleaning can be performed with a special carpet shampoo or a mild liquid detergent and cold water. However, in case of any doubts it is advised to seek professional assistance.