China Travel Tips

Reflections on Travel in China

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Hand Made Carpets From China

Hand Made carpets are one of the many things you will find throughout the Middle and Far East part of the world as a craft.  It takes a bit of education to know which are hand made and which are machine made.   Turning a carpet over and looking at the number of knots per inch is one good way to determine its value although not always.   There are many patterns which sometimes denote the country, area of that country and sometimes even particular peoples.   Patterns are often unique and special to this unique craft.  We have several carpets in our home both on the floor and hanging on the walls.  The one shown here is from Xinjiang province of West China and has a very traditional Muslim design.   Carpets can be made of different kinds of wool as well as silk.   The one shown here is silk and hangs on a stairway wall in our home.  When we walk up the stairs it is shows a dark sheen but when we come down the stairs it shows a much lighter sheen going from light to dark.  This one we purchased in the large market in Kashgar which is known all over the world as the Saturday Sunday Market displaying goods from several nearby countries.  The market is actually open 7 days a week but on week ends adds one or two additional buildings.   Best shopping however is during the week days when it is not as crowded.   For more information on Carpets, contact us at

interlak@eskimo.com       Click on the photo for a full screen view!  

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