In the Eastern world carpets and rugs have traditionally been used for prayer, shelter, the transportation of goods, and of course for comfort and decoration. The aim of this book is to enable readers to understand the decorative and technical features of oriental carpets by helping them to identify and classify carpets via their geographic origins, and to assess their artistic qualities and eventual value. Reviewing the history, materials, workmanship, production, decoration and style of carpets, the book describes about 200 examples of significance in the history of carpet weaving. Through photographic scanning, graphics and diagrams, important characteristics of each are examined in detail from both a technical and aesthetic perspective.