Mughal carpets (Moghul or Mogul carpets) were the handwoven floor coverings used in the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

in their courts. Mughal carpets and rugs have their roots in India since the 16th and 17th centuries. Mughal

carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of Pile (textile), pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fiber, synthetic fibres such as polyprop ...

s were a blend of Persian and Indian artistry uniquely designed with scenic landscapes, floral, and animal patterns.

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

was producing the finest

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

and

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

carpets and rugs, including prayer rugs. Sometimes the

knot density Knot density is a traditional quality (business), measure for quality of handmade or knotted-pile carpet, knotted pile carpets. It refers to the number of knots, or knot count, per unit of surface area - typically either per square inch (kpsi) o ...

in these rugs was so fine and tight as 300 knots per square centimeter. The

Mughal emperors The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty ( House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire i ...

were enthusiastic about textile materials, especially the third Mughal emperor

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

who set numerous imperial workshops across

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He also arranged training of local artisans to improve the skill. In addition to

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

, the manufacturing of carpets was an important industry.

Production

Mughal carpets are thought to have been produced in various locations, including

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, and

Fatehpur Sikri Fatehpur Sikri () is a town in the Agra District of Uttar Pradesh, India. Situated from the district headquarters of Agra, Fatehpur Sikri itself was founded as the capital of the Mughal Empire in 1571 by Mughal emperors, Emperor Akbar, servin ...

. The ''karkhanas'' of carpet, rugs, tents, and various other floor coverings was called ''Farrash khana.'' In the Mughal period, the production of carpets went beyond being merely an economic pursuit. Instead, it was intricately connected with the refined preferences of the royalty, societal traditions, and the artistic principles cherished within the Islamic realm.

Farsh-i-chandani

Nur Jahan is credited with popularizing farsh-i-chandani, a sandalwood-colored carpeting style, which gained widespread popularity throughout the country during her reign.

Heinrich Blochmann Heinrich Blochmann, known as Henry Ferdinand Blochmann (8 January 1838 – 13 July 1878), was a German orientalist and scholar of Persian language and literature who spent most of his career in India, where he worked first as a professor, and event ...

characterised it with a sandalwood hue, whereas Samsam ud Daula Shah Nawaz Khan referred to it as a silvery carpet. Farsh-i-chandani was also used in Mughal Harem. The elegantly embellished ceiling and floor colors of the

tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah (''I'timād-ud-Daulah Maqbara'') is a Mughal era, Mughal mausoleum in the city of Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Often described as a "jewel box", sometimes called the "Bachcha Taj" or the "Baby Taj", th ...

offer a glimpse into the potential aesthetics of the Farsh-i-Chandani carpet, which is associated with Nur Jahan's distinctive fashion sensibility.

Special Mentions

The Girdler's carpet is one of the best-documented examples of Mughul carpets.

References

{{Reflist Mughal art Indian rugs and carpets

Production

Farsh-i-chandani

Special Mentions

See also

References