The Birthplace of Persian Carpet-Making

Ancient Persia was a vast empire that provided the modern world with not only history but also art, architecture, culture—and Persian rugs! .

The First Persian Empire, also known as The Achaemenid Empire originated in what we now call Iran, and lasted from 550 until circa 330 BC and was the largest empire ever known—larger than both the Roman and Ottoman Empires which followed.

The Persian Empire’s contributions were critical for the development of civilizations in other parts of the world. While much remains unknown about the empire, the evidence we do have shows that the Persians were technologically advanced for their time and had a diverse and vibrant culture.

This ancient civilization was a very well-developed and fascinating nation in terms of culture and history. It was during the reign of Cyrus the Great of Persia, King of Kings, that Persian carpet weaving amongst the nomadic tribes of the region is believed to have begun. When Cyrus’s tomb was discovered, it was found to be strewn with many priceless rugs.

In 480 BC, the population of the Persian Empire was 50 million, which at the time was almost half of the world’s entire population—the highest for any empire in the history of the world—and covering all of Anatolia, at the point where the continents of Asia and Europe meet, and where the biggest empires ever seen originated.

From the beginnings of civilisation Anatolia has been a crossroads for nomadic people migrating to & from each continent, helping to spread the knowledge of carpet weaving througout the Empire. The video above charts the history of the region from 1550 BC and shows the vast extent of the Persian Empire—at the 3-minute mark in 500 BC—until 334 BC when Alexander the Great conquered Persia.