The Oldest Rug in the World

The oldest known rug, named the Pazyryk rug, is found in a frozen tomb in 1949. Rug-making is, truly, an ancient craft! The Pazyryk rug dates from the 5th century B.C., making it the earliest pile-weave rug discovered in its entirety. It was discovered in 1949 frozen in a Scythian burial site in the Altay Mountains of Siberia. The importance of the Pazyryk rug is that it proves pile weaving is an ancient craft. It's dimensions are 6'6" by 6'0", woven with wool using symmetric knots at about 225 KPSI on a silk foundation. The Pazyryk has motifs from the Persian Achaemenian dynasty (550 to 331 BC.). Because of its Achaemenian motifs, many believe it was made in Persia and then imported. The Pazyryk carpet is currently housed in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.