Sir George Birdwood says, "Whatever their type of ornamentation may be, a deep and complicated symbolism, originating in Babylon and possibly India, pervades every denomination of Oriental carpets." The geometrical figures, floral designs and the figures of animals and beings all carry with them a mystical, poetical idea of religious sentiment, the study of which, though difficult, is very fascinating to one who has the ability to interpret them. It seems perfectly natural that the Oriental who is so passionately devoted to symbols should profusely weave them into his fabrics. The Turks, being orthodox Mohammedans, never weave figures of animals, birds or human beings into their rugs, as the teachings of the Koran forbid it lest it should lead to idolatry. Neither do they, as a rule, make their rugs symmetrical, their idea being to symbolize the fact that only Allah is perfect. The Persians and Chinese, however, being more liberal, exercise greater freedom in these respects, and in some of their old hunting rugs, of which but few remain, are depicted animals of all kinds.
It seems strange to us that the weaver, who worked day after day for months and sometimes for years on a single piece, seldom signed or dated it. I have seldom seen the name of the weaver, of the place of manufacture, or the date, on an antique rug. Many of the modern commercial pieces are provided with dates to make them more attractive to the buyer. Inscriptions, on the other hand, are frequently found in rugs of all ages and are most frequently on the borders. As a rule they are prayers or quotations from the Koran or poems from the writings of some famous Persian poet and with but few exceptions are in the Arabic language. The ability to read these inscriptions adds greatly to the charm and interest of their possession.
The date, when present, will usually be found in one corner of the rug, sometimes in the border on one side or end, and should be read from left to right. If the spot is well worn and the figures are indistinct turn the rug over and read on the back from right to left.
The following are the Arabic figures, of which there are numerous modifications:
SEMI-PERSIAN RUG; DESIGN FURNISHED BY EUROPEAN MANUFACTURERS
LOANED BY H. B. CLAFLIN & CO.
Even the novice can tell at a glance that this is not purely an Oriental product; it so closely resembles the Domestic carpet.
If we will but remember that the Mohammedan reckoning began on July 16, 622, A.D., when Mohammed made his pilgrimage to Mecca, and that the Mohammedan year consists of thirty-three days less than ours, it will be easy to find the year in our calendar corresponding to a given year in the Mohammedan. The rule is to subtract from the Mohammedan year one thirty-third of itself and add 622 to the remainder; thus, 1331 ÷ 33 = 40 (do nothing with the fraction), 1331-40 = 1291 + 622 = 1913.