Lahore y Karachi

Ubicada en el Noreste de Pakistán, muy próxima a la frontera con India, se ha distinguido conjuntamente con Agra a través de los siglos, como un centro de producción de alfombras de alta calidad.

Located in Northeast Pakistan, very close to the Indian border, it has been distinguished, along with Agra, over the centuries as a center for high-quality carpet production.

The Mughals, who originally came from Central Asia, established a powerful empire during the 16th century that stretched from Afghanistan to the Bay of Bengal. Mughal rulers were artistically and culturally inspired by Persia, which led them to introduce Persian artisans, artists, and weavers to glorify the Empire. In 1947, India was partitioned into the current India and Pakistan. The city of Lahore, recognized as a cultural and intellectual center of the region, continues to produce carpets of the highest quality and beautiful designs to this day.

Texture and Quality

There are different textures and qualities of Pakistani carpets, primarily differentiated by the knot count and the varying fineness of the wool. The designs of older carpets (16th and 17th centuries) show a clear Mughal influence. Over the last 30 years, the vast majority of designs exhibit a distinct Turkmen influence. These pieces are often referred to as Bukhara, after the city in Uzbekistan where the original Turkmen carpets were traded. Of very good quality, one can find pieces with a very soft and shiny texture, which in many cases leads one to believe, due to their particular luster, that they contain silk. This characteristic is imparted by the fine, silky wool used in their manufacture.

Typical Colors

A wide range of colors is found in Pakistani carpets, with the red and burgundy palette being the most representative of the Turkmen influence. With great mastery, carpets are produced with a large number of combined colors, both in their multiple borders and in their intricate central geometric figures. Natural pigments extracted from plants, bark, insects, or minerals are used.

Foundation

Cotton warp and weft. The asymmetrical knot is the most commonly used. The higher or lower knot count of a piece can be easily distinguished by the thickness of the fringes.

Price

There is a wide range of prices depending on the quality of the pieces. In any case, we can say that all of them have a medium to low price index and a very good price-quality ratio. For this reason, they are carpets in high demand.