Todays production
For hundreds of years it was not very common for people living outside the Orient, except very wealthy people to own an oriental carpet.
The classical carpet producing regions were Turkey (Anatolia), Persia (Iran), Caucasus, Afghanistan with their surrounding countries and the western parts of China. From these regions the most exclusive carpets were exported, while the more simple village and nomad carpets stayed in the domestic market.
Towards the end of the 19th century the demand for carpets increased in the West and new manufacturing countries were added. The increased production lead to a changing level of the quality both in designs as in materials and the colouring of the wool.
The development of the industry resulted to some carpets being manufactured by machines (for example Wilton carpets) but of course the quality of these cannot be compared to the handmade carpets. Today machinespun yarns are used in the production of some handmade carpets, but despite this the traditional handicraft are still used and is very much appreciated.
When we talk about oriental carpets today we refer to handmade carpets in an area reaching from Morocco in the west, over to the Balkans (Romania and Bulgaria), Turkey, Iran, Caucasus, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, India, Tibet, Nepal all the way to the western parts of China.
Persian carpets are mostly made in the home where the women often do this for an extra income while handling the household. This is the main reason why Persian carpets are still very cheap in consideration the work behind them. In fact, Persian carpets today, are worth their price in relation to its quality.