Oriental carpets: basic carpet structure

When you're looking at a hand knotted carpet, there are three things to look at regarding structure: the warp, the weft and the knotted pile.

If you have an understanding of how a carpet is woven and you can look at the structure and you can identify the different elements, it will help you to understand the circumstances under which your carpet was woven, whether it was from a commercial workshop or possibly from the loom of a nomadic tribe. It may help you to date the carpet. It would certainly increase your appreciation of what it is you have.

The first element to look at is the warp. These are the long threads of a carpet which run the length of the carpet. If your carpet is complete, they'll probably form a fringe at the top and at the bottom.