Isberian Rug Company

Credit to Isberian Rug Company for all information.

For more than 2,500 years, the sheep-herding tribes of Armenia and the Caucus Mountains have hand-crafted beautifully-patterned knotted rugs and kilims (tapestry-woven carpets). What begun as weavers' personal household furnishings had turned into a commercial trade by the 14th century, and the art and technology of weaving spread over trade routes between Europe and China during the next two centuries.

By the 16th century, the Oriental rug (as it had become known in Europe) had become a prized furnishing, and an integral design element in the noble houses of the Renaissance. The rug trade blossomed into its Golden Age in the 19th century, thriving on the growth of the Industrial Revolution. At the turn of the century, as the engine of industry roared across America, boatloads of rugs steamed across the Atlantic. Along with their rugs came the Armenian refugees, struggling to escape the genocide of the Ottoman Empire. They brought not only their craft but also their knowledge of Oriental rug maintenance and repair.

The Isberians were one of these rug merchants who started out in Chicago, later moving to Aspen, Colorado, where they remain till today -- as a family of master repair and restorers of beautiful Oriental rugs. Stop by one of their three showrooms at Hyman Avenue in Aspen to find some of the most unique treasures of the past, present and future.