These numbers represent not the Christian but the Mohammedan year, which, dating from the time of the Hegira, began about the middle of July 622, or a little before the actual flight from Medina. It should also be remembered that the lunar and not the solar year is considered in Moslem chronology; which, according to our reckoning, gains about one year in every thirty-three and seven tenths years. To calculate, then, the year of our time corresponding with the year expressed in the rug, from the number should be subtracted one thirty-three and seven tenths part of itself, and then should be added six hundred and twenty-two. Thus, if the year 1247 was woven in the rug, our corresponding year would be a. d. 1247 less 37 (or 1210) plus 622, or 1832. When such dates appear in old rugs, they are generally to be depended on, but in modern ones they are more likely to be antedated to give the effect of greater age.
With reference to the time when woven, rugs may conveniently be divided into three broad classes; Antique rugs or carpets made over two centuries ago; old rugs made fifty or more years ago; and modern rugs made since the introduction of aniline dyes, or within the last fifty years.
The number of antique carpets that exist is undetermined, as it is impossible to estimate how many remain in Oriental mosques and palaces. Nor has any complete catalogue been made of those that are owned in Europe and America. They consist principally of the products of Persia, Asia Minor, Armenia, and China. Many belong to the museums and the remainder to sovereigns and wealthy collectors. Like rare porcelains and old paintings, their value increases with each passing year; and the prices received for them range according to the fancy and caprice of the purchaser. They are the most valued and the most costly of all rugs.
Plate 66. Kurdish Prayer Kilim
The number of rugs over fifty years of age, but not belonging to the previous class, is very large. A few are sufficiently prized to be placed in art museums, some belong to collectors, large numbers embellish the halls and drawing rooms of people of refinement, and others are yearly brought from the Orient; but dealers and the public already realise that their numbers are limited. Even now they are searched for in the remotest corners of every rug-producing country; and in a few years the last, now cherished as family heirlooms, will have been exchanged for western gold. Almost all are well woven, though some are too much worn to be trodden longer under foot. None are treated with aniline dyes, but the colours mellowed by time are exceptionally good and frequently contain rare tones characteristic of the first class. Moreover, large numbers contain emblems of a symbolism still shrouded in mysteries that increase their fascination. On the whole, this is the choicest stock from which to choose elegant carpetings for luxurious homes. When it is considered that rugs of this class are beginning to disappear from the market, the prices at which they may be purchased are moderate compared with the prices of more modern pieces.
The great majority of existing Oriental rugs have been woven within the last fifty years. A few of them, including many of the newest, have colours that compare favourably with those of older pieces; but a large number show the effect of aniline dyes. Some woven by nomads or dwellers in remote villages, without thought of sale, have designs and workmanship such as have characterised the fabrics of these people for past generations; but others, which are the products of the work-house system, though well woven as a rule, lack the charm of spontaneous individuality. Age alone has little influence in determining the value of these modern rugs, since they have not yet become rare; yet even in them the wear of time affects their other qualities. Other things being equal, they cost less than the old and the antique rugs.