This article breaks down several myths about Tibetan rugs and tells the real story. The origins of these myths may be manifold. What was once written in books - in the meantime several decades old - has made its way into sales catalogs, and from the sales catalogs to web sites. And ever since, these myths have been repeated like Buddhist mantras.
Read the full article and you will be astonished about all the nonsense written about Tibetan rugs.
A wild Tibetan horseman on a sturdy, short-legged horse in combination with a colorful Tibetan saddle rug. That makes a nice picture! Right.
Lots of images of Tibetan rugs in vegetable dyes made in the early 1980s.
People who live in barren, mountainous regions have a liking for strong colors - for their clothing and the decoration of their homes. Neither the Tibetans nor the Indians in Peru nor my own fellow countrymen here in the alpine region of Bavaria make an exception.
The phoenix is a mysterious, self-regenerating ('like a Phoenix out of ashes') bird that can be traced back to the mythologies of many ancient cultures - Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, India, Chinese, Indonesia, Persia, Central America and many more. It is astonishing how the same type of creature can show up in old tales of so many different world cultures.
Slide show of roughly 50 traditional Tibetan nomad rugs in sizes of 3' by 6' (90 by 180 cm). The rugs were made entirely by hand after old designs.
This film shows how Tibetan carpets are made all by hand in the small Himalayan country of Nepal. By courtesy of Nepal Carpet Industries. 13 minutes long.
This page shows new photos from the manufactory in Nepal where artelino's Tibetan rugs in traditional designs and sizes are made. What you see is the major phase, knotting. But this is just one step required to make an all hand-made Tibetan rug.
This page is an accompanying text by artelino for a video produced by the Carpet and Wool Development Board of Nepal and available on the artelino web site by courtesy of Nepal Carpet Industries. The video is 13 minutes long and demonstrates the labor-intensive process of making a carpet in the Tibetan weaving tradition in Nepal.
The traditional Tibetan rug knows a large variety of design patterns and symbols.
