Oriental Rugs - Pakistan

Most of what was said about India's rug industry can also be said about Pakistan's. Pakistan is located west of India, covers a geographic area of about 800,000 square km, and has a population of approximately 140 million people. Like India, Pakistan was also subject to British rule for many years and it, too, gained its independence at the same time as India. Pakistan is mainly an Islamic country and has its capital in Islamabad.

As is the case with India, Pakistan's rug industry has been greatly influenced by the Persian Empire. The Iranian government set up royal rug manufacturing facilities in Pakistan and by the 16th and 17th centuries, rug weaving had developed considerably in the region.

Today the styles and patterns of Pakistan's rugs follow either famous Persian designs or Turkoman and Caucasian (Bokhara) designs. Bokhara rugs are high in quality and have incredibly soft and lustrous wool. In the finer Bokharas, virgin lamb wool is used to give the carpets an extraordinarily soft feel. In these designs, only about two to four colors are used, and they are usually different shades of green, blue, or red. The styles resembling Persian designs are also high in quality and often higher in price. Today, Pakistan is the fourth largest carpet producer in the world.