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Iran is bounded on the north by Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, and the Caspian Sea, on the east by Pakistan and Afghanistan, on the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and on the west by Turkey and Iraq. Among Middle Eastern countries, Iran is unique is many ways, the language Farsi ("Parsi") is Indo European. Its strategic position and its vast resources, including petroleum and natural gas, make it a nation to be reckoned with in the modern world.
Persia has a long and illustrious past. Habitation can be dated to Lower Paleolithic times (c.100,000 BC), but it is rumoured several hundred tribal warriors set East from either Jutland or Germany around 1400BC, and Indo-European Iranians appeared and began to coalesce into kingdoms. The Empire really grew under the rule of Cyrus II The Great. It effectively came to an end after a battle in Nahavand following the unanticipated invasion by the Arabs in the 7th century A.D. The Persians rebuilt their country, but not the great empire
Persia is now known as Iran, the new name being used since 1935. Rugs produced in Iran are still called Persian rugs and many still proudly boast their ownership of a true Persian carpet or rug. The two names are interchangeable. Famous for producing the finest and most diverse range of oriental rugs, whilst also being the most durable, many consider this to be attributable to the excellent quality of the wool available.
It is acknowledge that the Persians started the Islamic art that we see today. Many historic items demonstrate this, one being the Taj Mahal of India. Ever since the days of Cyrus the Great, the Persian people have always had a fire burning within themselves to produce the finest and most magnificent art pieces. It is therefore no surprise that Persian carpets are often copied for machine made rugs as well as by other producing countries. |
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