The Rug Library

The Kashmiri Hand Knotted Carpet received a Geographical Indication certificate from the GI Registry in Chennai, reported as granted in June 2016.

Kashmiri carpets are woven from a 'talim', a coded colour chart that tells the weaver how many knots to tie in each colour; weaving from talim is considered more accurate than working directly from a graph.

The Kashmiri carpet’s GI claim rested on the point that Kashmir is the only place where weavers use a written set of codes and symbols for design and colour, distinguishing its carpets from visually similar Iranian ones.

Tradition credits Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin, who ruled Kashmir in the 15th century, with inviting artisans from Persia and Central Asia to train Kashmiris in carpet weaving.

Kashmiri accounts say carpet weaving was reintroduced in the 17th century under Jahangir, with the support of Ahmed Beg Khan and a merchant known as Akhun Rahnuma.

Some Kashmiri histories trace the roots of the valley’s crafts to Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani (14th century), who is said to have brought skilled artisans from Persia.

Textile researcher Promil Pande’s book 'Floor Coverings from Kashmir' documents several local traditions beyond the knotted kaleen, including namdah felts, gabba rugs, ari-embroidered rugs and wagoo mats.

Kashmiri hand-knotted carpets are made in several constructions, including pure silk (silk on silk), silk pile on a cotton foundation, and pure wool.

In a Kashmiri carpet workshop the design is first drawn on graph paper by a naqash, each square standing for one knot, and then converted into the coded talim that weavers follow.

Since around 2022, authentic hand-knotted Kashmiri carpets can carry a QR-code GI label that records details such as the maker, materials and knot density, with labelling handled by the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology in Srinagar.

IICT Srinagar, a satellite centre of the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology, Bhadohi, was set up by the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) with the Jammu and Kashmir government and began functioning around 2004–05 to support the region’s carpet industry.

Kashmir’s QR-code carpet label is designed to show buyers details such as who made the carpet, where, the colours used and the pile height, and artisans and manufacturers must register before submitting carpets for labelling.

Kashmiri carpet designs frequently draw on regional motifs such as paisley, the chinar tree and the tree of life, alongside classical floral patterns.

Kashmiri hand-knotted carpets are generally associated with the asymmetric Persian (Senneh) knot.

'Cashmere', the Western name for the fine goat hair used in Kashmir shawls and Mughal carpets, derives from 'Kashmir'; the same fibre is now more often called pashmina.