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ORIENTAL RUGS-101
An Introduction into the Fascinating Topic of
Oriental Rugs

Article Series

Oriental Rugs-101 is here for you if you are interested in learning more about these rugs. This series of articles can help you to quickly gain some highly useful information to guide you further or perhaps to even help you to purchase one of these rugs.

You may have heard about the mystique of oriental rugs, how to assess the value of oriental rugs, Persian, Bidjar, Turkoman, Caucasian, Oushak, etc.

The subject is full of many words and phrases you may not be familiar with such as abrash, symmetric and asymmetric, knot density, natural vs. synthetic dyes, warp and weft, field, spandrel, and more.

Is there really any way to gain some pertinent knowledge rather quickly for someone who may be entranced with the beauty of these rugs but would also like to be able to make an informed purchase if the opportunity should arise?

The answer is Yes! And these articles may be just what you have been looking for!

The Purpose of these
Oriental Rugs-101 Articles

The purpose of this set of Oriental Rugs-101 articles is to serve as ‘cheat sheets’ for budding oriental rug enthusiasts. 

They will not necessarily help you to identify the origin of an oriental rug or determine its actual value (though they might help). They are meant to introduce you to the world of oriental rugs and wipe away the initial cobwebs of misinformation (or too much or not enough information), that invariably appears when one first enters this fascinating world.

The articles can be read in any order. Each one presents a small peek into the world of oriental rug making. Additional reading is included with each article and one article is a glossary of common terms.

Definition of an Oriental Rug

A technical definition of an Oriental Rug would be a rug that is hand knotted or hand tied. The pile of a hand knotted rug is formed by the knots.

There are also rugs that are handmade but not hand knotted or hand tied. These are known as flatweaves and have no pile. One example of these types of rugs are dhurries from China and India.

Woven rugs can be referred to as Eastern (Oriental) relating to the Orient, especially Asia, or Western (Occidental) rugs. Common rug weaving countries around the world include  Iran, China, India, Russia, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tibet, Nepal, Africa, etc. 

Native Indians, such as the Navajos of the American Southwest and the Mexican Zapotecs, weave flatwoven rugs that are sometimes referred to as Oriental Rugs, which is not technically correct.

Types of Oriental Rugs

The term ‘rug’ can refer to 9’ x 6’ or smaller piece. Larger rugs may have the term ‘carpet’ applied. The term ‘runner’ is usually given to a rug measuring 3’ to 4’ wide and anywhere from 8’ to 20’ in length, usually used in narrow areas and stairways.

For our  purposes, whether hand woven or machine made, a ‘rug’ will refer to a loose-lay area rug. A ‘carpet’ will refer to wall-to-wall installed goods in a home or business.

How ABC Can Help!

ABC is a professional rug cleaning company specializing in the cleaning and repair of all rugs, especially oriental rugs. All rugs are cleaned and repaired on site in our certified rug plant.

We have been servicing the Ithaca/Tompkins and surrounding areas for over 45 years and have recently begun providing pick up and delivery services to the Syracuse/DeWitt/Fayetteville/Manlius and surrounding areas. The turn around time for pick up and deliveries is 1 week. Repairs may take a bit longer.

Your rugs never leave our hands until they are delivered back to your home or business.

Oriental Rugs-101
Article Topics

We hope the following articles will shed much light on your journey into the subject of oriental rugs:

1.      Fibers Used.                              

2.      Dyes Used.

3.      Design Elements.

4.      Basic Elements of Construction.

5.      How Oriental Rugs are Woven and Finished.

6.      Popular Types and Formats.

7.      Important Terms.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about rugs you own or may be planning to purchase, please feel free to call our office at 607-272-1566 or email us at rugladyvanessa@gmail.com or click here.


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ABC Oriental Rug & Carpet Cleaning Co.
130 Cecil Malone Drive Ithaca, NY 14850

607-272-1566

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Oriental and Area Rug Washing at ABC Oriental Rug 


Rugs on the wash floor are gently scrubbed before thorough rinsing.


Gentle scrubbing continues. Note the wringer in the background-the next step in the washing process after rinsing.


After thorough rinsing, the rug is sent slowly and carefully through the wringer to take out as much of the water as possible before being hung on racks in the drying room. 


Rugs are hung on a rack in the temperature controlled drying room until completely dry.