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2000 years of oriental rug trade by Thomas Cole

The trade in oriental rugs has been going on for a long time, perhaps more than 2000 years! After all, the oldest documented carpet, housed in The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, was excavated in the Altai Mtns of Siberia, but was probably woven in Persia. How did it get … read more

Animal Trappings of Tibet by Thomas Cole

The mere mention of ‘nomadic’ weaving in Tibet used to raise the ire of many a Tibetophile in past years. Still there is a sub-conscious (if not, at times, overt) refusal to embrace a nomadic origin for some Tibetan weavings. The very fact that the so-called “warp faced back” weaving … read more

The Tibetan Rug Market & Scholarship – Waving in the Breeze

Article and photos by Thomas Cole, June 9th 2003 Like the proverbial prayer flags, flapping in a high Himalayan breeze, the direction of the Tibetan rug market remains with out a real direction or purpose. After all these years (12 to be exact since the appearance of HALI 49, Tibetan … read more