{"id":1609,"date":"2019-04-21T02:13:08","date_gmt":"2019-04-21T06:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/98.87.68.78\/kazak-rugs\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T19:11:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T19:11:59","slug":"kazak-rugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rugsource.com\/blog\/kazak-rugs\/","title":{"rendered":"Kazak Rugs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Easily one of the most striking of all\nOriental rugs, the Kazak rugs have been desired since their\nmodernization during the 19th<\/sup> century. Thanks to their\nbold, powerful design, durable materials, and the prestige of owning\nsuch a beautiful rug, they have been highly prized. For much of this\ntime, the Kazak<\/a> rug could be found in palaces, churches, and in the\nhomes of the elite. While some were placed on the floor, many were\ndisplayed on the walls thanks to their striking design. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kazak rugs originated in a tribal region which is now modern Afghanistan. As with the history of many rug designs, it came from nomadic tribes that used the rugs<\/a><\/strong> for both practical and decorative purposes. For many years, the rugs were limited in availability to that part of the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern History of Kazak Rugs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kazak Ara Rug<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The rug originates in the 11th<\/sup> century in Armenia and Afghanistan in an area that lies just south of the Caucasus<\/a>. They were created by Turkish nomads who learned their craft from the Armenians who had been creating various types of rugs since at least the fifth century A.D. The Kazak rug is not associated with a particular tribe, but rather from the region in which it was created. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crafted from high quality wool, these\nrugs became more sophisticated in the use of hand-knots which allowed\nfor greater detail in terms of the design features and patterns. The\nrugs themselves have enjoyed considerably popularity as they spread\nacross the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe during the 1800s. By\nthe 20th<\/sup> century, the rugs became categorized as Oriental\nrugs and had plenty of competition in the marketplace which led to\nthem becoming somewhat obscure for a while. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the 1980s, the rise of the\nTaliban regime in Afghanistan caused many refugees to flee into\nPakistan. The result was that many of the weavers who resettled in\nthe country brought their skills in creating Kazak rugs which started\na revival of interest. That was augmented by the addition of new\ndesigns, materials, and colors that became available. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating a Kazak Rug<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kazak Runner<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As with most Oriental rugs<\/a>, the Kazak\nversions are hand-knotted. In fact, Kazak rugs have a high density of\nhand-knots compared to most Oriental rug designs. Basically, the more\nhand-knots in a rug, the sharper the design will be. This makes the\nmotifs and decorations even sharper and more distinctive compared to\nmany other rug designs. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A typical 8\u2019 x 10\u2019 rug requires\nalmost 12,300 hours of labor which translates to over four years of\nwork if you divide the labor into 8-hour days. You\u2019ll find around\n9,216,000 knots in a rug of that size. While this seems like an\nenormous amount of effort, the result is a rug that is highly\ndecorative and durable, landing for many years with minimal\nmaintenance and cleaning depending on how it is used. It\u2019s also why\nKazak rugs are so valuable and treasured. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kazak Motifs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What distinguishes this type of rug\nfrom its Oriental counterparts is the distinctive motifs. Consisting\nof characteristics noted for the tribe of the region along with\ncompositions that are geometric in nature, the Kazak rugs offer many\ncommon patters along with animal representations. It\u2019s quite common\nto see the following on a typical Kazak rug;<\/p>\n\n\n\n