Indian carpets

These are very high quality carpets, all woven by hand and made of silk and wool. They feature mostly plant designs and the knot density reaches 300-700 thousand knots for a square meter. The pile height is from 5 to 9 milimeters. They come in a very wide range of designs and colors.

The art of weaving began flourishing in India in the sixteenth century under the rule of the Mughal dynasty, which was founded in 1526 by Babura. The dynasty ruled until 1858 until Afgan and Persian conquests as well as colonization by the English contributed to its demise.

The origins of Indian carpet weaving date back to Humajuma (1530-1555) who fled the country following a 1544 Afgan revolt. He took refuge in Persia while staying with the Shah Tahmaspa Sultan. There he learned the value of culture and science. Apparently, according to the legend, before returning to the country in 1553 Humajuma asked the Sultan's permission to take with him designers and masters of his beloved skill of carpet weaving who could help popularize this art in his homeland. Thus, a great tradition was born and continued to be cherished, first by Humajuma's son, Akbar (he founded manufactories in in Agra, Lahore and Fatehpur) as well as other moguls - the paintings depcting precious carpets in the palaces of local maharajas attest to this.