Get a Free Estimate :
Khazai rug cleaning and repair logo

Tibetan Rugs

Tibet is a region in East Asia covering much of the Tibetan Plateau. Tibet is the highest region on Earth, with an average elevation of 4,380 m (14,000 ft.). Located in the Himalayas, the highest elevation in Tibet is Mount Everest, Earth’s highest mountain, rising 8,848.86 m (29,032 ft.) above sea level. Lhasa has been the Tibetan capital since the 7th century, when the Tibetan Empire’s expansion started. At the beginning of the 9th century, the Tibetan Empire controlled territories extending from the Tarim Basin to the Himalayas and Bengal, and from the Pamirs into what are now the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan.
Tibetans call the Mount Everest “Chomolungma”. It is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan. It also has adherents in the regions surrounding the Himalayas (such as Ladakh and Sikkim), in much of Central Asia, in the Southern Siberian regions such as Tuva, and in Mongolia. “Dalai Lama” is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or “Yellow Hat” school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th Dalai Lama known as Gyalwa Rinpoche to the Tibetan people, is the current Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader of Tibet, and the political leader of Tibetans in exile.
The Potala Palace is a dzong fortress in the city of Lhasa. It was the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959, has been a museum since then, and has been a World Heritage Site since 1994
The pile fragments found in Tibet have been carbon-dated to 1700 B.C. Tibetans consider rug weaving as a sort of meditation. They have done it during millenniums. From the late eighteenth century commercial production began when Europeans became familiar with Tibetan woven items and demanded for them. Following the Xinhai Revolution against the Qing dynasty in 1912, Qing soldiers were disarmed and escorted out of Tibet Area. The region subsequently declared its independence. The region maintained its autonomy until 1951 when, following the Battle of Chamdo, Tibet was occupied and incorporated into the People’s Republic of China, and the previous Tibetan government was abolished in 1959 after a failed uprising. Many Tibetans fled the country thereafter, taking refuge in Bhutan, Nepal and India. Today, China governs western and central Tibet as the Tibet Autonomous Region while the eastern areas are now mostly ethnic autonomous prefectures within Sichuan, Qinghai and other neighboring provinces. There are tensions regarding Tibet’s political status and dissident groups that are active in exile. Those Tibetan who live in exile have continued to weave Tibetan rugs with the same technique and designs.
A Tibetan dragon rug made by Tibetan refugees in Nepal
Snow lion is a celestial animal of Tibet. It is the national emblem of Tibet. The lion was adopted as a symbol of Shakyamuni Buddha in early Buddhism; it is also depicted as a vehicle for a number of Vajrayana deities such as Vaishravana and Manjushri, and the lion throne may be found in many nirmanakaya Buddha form

Technical aspects and the structure of Tibetan Rugs

Tibetan has their own knitting technique using a temporary gauge rod for weft wrapping. Tibetan knot densities vary from 20 to 140 per square inch. Antique pieces are mostly all-wool. Silk may also be used in some of them. The wool used is very soft. Goat hair and Yak fiber are also common. Yak fiber is the term commonly used to refer yak fiber wool produced from the coat hair of yaks, a long-haired bovine mainly found in the Himalayan region, Tibetan plateau, and some areas of Mongolia and Central Asia. Yak fiber wool has been used by nomads in the Trans-Himalayan region for over a thousand years to make clothing, tents, ropes, rugs and blankets. Rug and runner sizes are common in Tibet. Pieces are rather elongated in comparison to Persian and Anatolian rugs and runners. Mediation mats are square. Various pile items exist including chair covers and sleeping mats (‘neyden’). Some pile items are for covering domestic animals, especially horses and yaks.
An antique meditation mat
A Tibetan yak covered with woven items

Dyeing and painting of Tibetan Rugs

Tibetans use colors symbolically. Colors make familiar atmospheres and certain moods. Maroon (or Dark burgundy similar to the monks’ robes) dominates the Tibetan monasteries’ interiors including the long runners used to carpets the passages between the columns. A rich yellow is usually matched with it. Antique pieces may enjoy a yellow obtained from safflower. Gold and orange are used in ceremonial rugs. Either of orange, saffron or yellow may be used in Tibetan tiger rugs. Dark blue- dominated pieces are also exist. The blue used is mostly indigo. The secondary palette include a wide range. Tibetan interiors (as well as exteriors) are colorfully decorated. Use of natural dyes led to a saturated palette. Buddhism is the key to Tibetan rug motifs. The seven Buddhist symbols (wheel, conch, umbrella, canopy, lotus, vase, fish and Ch’ang) are pictured in Tibetan designs. A ritual object, called ‘dorje’, is depicted in Tibetan rugs. Generally the Buddhist images are called ‘tanka’. Meditation mats are very popular. These are square-shape piled rugs made rationally for monks as a portable rug to sit on.
An antique Tibetan tiger rug Designs and patterns of Tibetan Rugs
Pao Tao seat cover. North East China, Inner Mongolia. Dimensions 68 x 68 cm. Age ca. 1900
A contemporary Tibetan rug with a traditional floral design
Snow lions are depicted frequently single or in pair. It is a celestial animal for Tibetans and its depiction is the national emblem of Tibet. The lion was adopted as a symbol of Shakyamuni Buddha in early Buddhism; it is also depicted as a vehicle for a number of Vajrayana deities such as Vaishravana and Manjushri, and the lion throne may be found in many nirmanakaya Buddha forms. Tiger rugs are among the most popular Tibetan woven items. These are stylized imitations of tiger skins. These rugs have no border. Many other Tibetan designs neither have border. Chessboard designs (called ‘shotima’) are also common.
Pao Tao Seat Cover. North East China, Inner Mongolia. Dimensions 73 x 73 cm. Age ca. 1900
A meditation mat with ‘dorje’ design Animals and magical creatures depicted frequently in Tibetan rugs. Dragons, dragon and phoenix, tigers, and snow lions are the most popular ones
A Tibetan rug designed with a snow lion in the middle, and dragons and phoenixes in the margin
A Tibetan tiger rug
Tibetan khaden (sleeping rugs) with designs typical of 19th century weavings
Tibetan khaden with designs from the early part of the 20th century showing the greater elaboration and wider color range from this period
Call Now