Oriental rugs refer to those created anywhere on the continent of Asia. While most people think of Oriental as primarily Chinese, Japanese or any other such far east culture, Europeans generally refer to most of Asia as The Orient. It is that same thinking that applies to Oriental rugs.

Any study of Oriental rugs must certainly take into consideration the incredible history and culture of a vast area stretching from the Black and the Mediterranean Seas eastward to the People's Republic of China.

This remarkable area, which many call the cradle of civilization, includes those southern regions which are now part of Russia, plus Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Kirgizstan, Nepal, Tibet, China, Turkey, Mesopotamia, Persia (Iran), Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan. Other nations with established rug weaving histories include Egypt and Morocco.