Weaving carpets by hand has been a renowned textile art form since before there was recorded history in the area that is the present-day Middle Eastern country of Syria. Named after the capital of Syria, Damascus rugs, however, specifically date back to a period between the 15th and 17th centuries. Syria at the time had been conquered by the Mamluks. For this reason, Damascus rugs are also sometimes called Mamluk rugs. Damascus had been a major hub along the Silk Road from the eighth to the 13th centuries, which was a complex system of trade routes that connected Europe, Asia, and areas of Africa. Throughout this time period, China, Greece, and Rome were major trading partners. Read on to learn more about hand woven rugs from the Orient! If you’re looking for oriental rugs Tampa residents love, call Royal Oriental Rugs today!

 

What To Know About Damascus Rugs

 

Originally the Mamluks were slave-soldiers who served Islamic rules throughout the Middle Ages, with somewhat of a higher status than slaves. They eventually rose to a knightly caste and some came to wield military and political power in their own right. Syria was under Mongol rule in the 13th century, but after conquering Egypt in 1250 the Mamluks gradually worked their way up the Mediterranean coast. Their defeat of the Mongol army meant that Syria became part of the Mamluk Sultanate for another 250 years. The Mamluk brought their own techniques for designing and weaving rugs with them from Egypt, which became enormously influential on Syrian rug-makers throughout this time period. The influence was so great, in fact, that it can be difficult for even experts to distinguish a Damascene from a Cairene rug. Though they share a lot of similarities with their cousins from Cairo, Damascus rugs have a couple of distinguishing characteristics. The colors on many existing Damascus rugs remain remarkably fresh to this day, and the color palette for the majority of Damascene rugs is similar to that of Cairene rugs in which blue, green, and red tend to feature prominently. Damascene rugs, however, don’t have a certain sheen that Cairene rugs tend to have. 

 

Buy Your Hand Woven Rugs Today

 

Royal Oriental Rugs, who provides oriental rugs Tampa residents love, note that Damascus rugs typically feature a distinctive compartment design. The field consists of a grid pattern in which each of the blocks demonstrates roughly the same repeating pattern of geometric features. Each compartment may contain a hexagonal shape that is surrounded on four sides by triangles, for example. Where four corners of the grid meet, four triangles may form a diamond shape. Due to this distinctive compartment pattern, Europeans in the Middle Ages often called Damascus rugs ‘checkerboard carpets.’ 

 

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Royal Oriental Rugs provides one of the largest collections of hand woven rugs in authentic, vintage, oriental, Persian, traditional, modern, and contemporary styles. We also provide pet odor and/or stain removal, hand cleaning, hand repair, and an in-house rug designer who is available for consultations along with FREE pickup and delivery. Take advantage of our various specials right now and order oriental rugs Tampa residents love!