Pazyryk Rug: Oldest Rug in the World!

Find out about the oldest rug in the world

The oldest hand-knotted rug known to mankind is currently housed at St.Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum, dating back to 4th-5th century, it is truly an impressive artifact. The Hermitage Museum is located in Leningrad, Russia. This rug was discovered in 1949 by a Russian archaeologist S.I. Rudenko, preserved for centuries by ice in a tumulus in the Altai mountains.

Although it was found in a Scythian burial, most experts around the world trait its existence to Persia. Especially its design, which is the same style as some sculptures of Persepolis. Particularly, the details along the border which is decorated with twenty-eight horses and riders, a prominent figure corresponding with the number of males who carried the throne to Persepolis.

Though a prominent textile expert that goes by the name of Ulrich Schurmann has reached a conclusion that the rug is Armenian origin. On the other hand, the Persians, having an impressive record of hand-knotted rugs claim the rug as their own, from the Achaemenid Empire. Whether you believe it is from Armenia or Persia, it does not matter because the beauty and significance of The Pazyryk Rug is aeonian.