Turkish Rugs
The weaving tradition has existed in Turkey for thousands of years and is a mainstay for village life.  The oldest known carpet in Turkey dates from the Fifth Century BC and handweaving techniques were introduced in Anatolia by the Selcuks in the 12th century.  In the 19th century Turkish rugs became popular amongst Europeans.  Styles of Turkish handmade rugs include Tulu, Karapinar, Ladik, Konya, Ushak, Kayseri, Khotan, Burdur, Soumak and Kilim.

Persian Rugs
Although there was recently an embargo established for rugs from Iran, many beautiful handmade Persian rugs remain in the marketplace and continue to increase in value.  Patterns of Persian rugs include Nain, Heriz, Sultanabad, Kerman, Tabriz, Kashan and Ghoum.  

Afghani Rugs

Rugs are woven by native Afghans (Pashtun) and by Turkoman tribes in Afghanistan who migrated to Afghanistan in the 1920's.  Pile rug production consists largely of pieces with traditional Turkoman guls and geometric designs in shades of red.  A wide variety of flatweaves are produced along with bags, animal trappings and other special-function tribal weavings.