Tibetan Carpet is the main fruit of hundred of hours of hard
labor performed by a team who coax the wool through more than 15
stages. There are few innovations from the modern era but the
method of creating a Tibetan carpet is much the same as it used
to be hundred years ago in Tibet.
Each carpet is a work of art created by a team of weavers who
share a long heritage of carpet making. The use of Tibetan
carpets in a Tibetan household is a living tradition. By making
carpet the Tibetan sustain an unbroken link to their past.
Tibetan tradition carpets are special with its unique wool that
comes all the way from Tibet and mainly because of the high
altitude Tibetan Sheep. It is fine with it's silkiness and
durability yet endures much longer than regular wool, due to
it's high Lanolin content, the carpet gets better whose luster
actually increases with age. Tibetan wool grows more beautiful
as it ages, developing a silk-like shine. Rugs are woven to the
highest density possible, assuring the long life and durability
of carpet.
The commercial production of Tibetan carpets began in the 60s,
when political change drove thousands of Tibetan settlers
through the Himalayan Mountains and into the Kathmandu Valley.
These resourceful Tibetan refugees began a cottage industry of
carpet weaving to produce rugs for the growing tourist trade in
Nepal with Swiss Association for Technical Assistance (SATA)
contributed in the development of carpet industry. In the
beginning it was started as source of living for the Tibetan
refugees and the products were just the items for tourist
consumption. Gradually it became to attract the consumer abroad
initiated in 1964 from the first commercial shipment to Europe
particularly Switzerland.
Since then carpets became in high demand throughout Europe
within a decade. By 1980's, Tibetan carpet production in Nepal
became the nation's second leading industry. American importers
began offering Tibetan rugs of color and design with the Western
market in mind. Today, Tibetan rugs are a leading commodity in
the hand made floor-covering market in both Europe and the
United States.
