The Rug Library

The V&A holds a 'jail carpet' with wool pile on a cotton foundation, woven to a historic design at Agra Central Prison around 1880.

Incredible India’s account of Agra weaving says Akbar revived carpet weaving in the 16th century by inviting Persian weavers to work alongside local artisans in Agra.

The first Mughal carpet workshops at Agra, Lahore and Delhi initially employed Persian artists, according to Berlin’s Museum für Islamische Kunst.

Construction of Agra Central Jail began in 1849 under William Woodcock of the Bengal Civil Service, and by the late 19th century the prison had become a major exporter of carpets.

As superintendent of Agra Central Jail, Dr John W. Tyler developed the prison into an important centre for manufacturing high-quality carpets.

For the 1886 Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London, 34 Indian artisans, mostly inmates of Agra Jail, travelled to Britain with superintendent J. W. Tyler to demonstrate crafts including carpet weaving.

Agra durries were granted Geographical Indication status in 2013, according to India’s Ministry of Tourism.

A local tradition recorded for Agra durries connects them with Shauripur, about 72 km from Agra, where such rugs are said to have been used to welcome Lord Krishna.

Antique Agra carpets are typically densely knotted on a cotton foundation, with Persian-derived designs such as medallions and palmettes often redrawn at a larger, more spacious scale.