Armenian

More than two millennia before the travels of Marco Polo, Armenia had established itself as the first rug making culture in the world, but after more than 70 years of Soviet rule, the carpet making tradition had nearly died out. James Tufenkian returned to the newly freed Republic of Armenia in 1993 to help revive its traditions of carpet weaving. Building on the remarkable wool of the hardy Armenian Balbas sheep, traditional hand-craftsmanship was brought back into every stage of carpet production so that these carpets are completely true to Tufenkian production values, and imbued with the unique flavor of Armenia and its ancient weaving traditions.