THE HIDDEN MEANING IN THE COLORS OF A CARPET
A carpet is no doubt, a work of art; a symbol of culture and a masterpiece of a weaver. Though in ancient times, carpets might have been used as protective measures against the ruggedness of weather and terrain; yet today, carpets are almost used only for the embellishment and beautification of an area. As such, carpets are to be eye-catching, intricately designed and flamboyantly colored. In fact, to most weavers, the two basic features of a carpet are its design and color, and of the two, many consider the color patterns to be more important than the designs as color contrasts give existence to the designs.
The color contrast is produced by creating patterns of contrasting colors on a solid background color. The background color is the most striking feature of a carpet and covers the whole of it. Carpet weavers use different shades of different colors for the background. The selection of these colors depends on the most attractive colors locally available, and on the traditional and religious values symbolized by the colors. The dyes used are both natural and artificial. Thus, the color patterns of the carpet can be used to make an educated guess at the origin of a carpet.
Carpet weavers use all kinds of colors in different nuances and shades; however, the most commonly used colors are red, beige, yellow, blue and green. Most of the people do not realize that the colors indeed convey certain meaning in the blend of art and beauty. Colors can signify deep-rooted traditions and rites of nation. Colors can convey emotions. They are believed to bring fortunes and misfortunes.
Many instances of different meanings associated with different colors can be enlisted. To start with, Muslims consider green as a religious color. We can see that the flags of major Muslim countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a dominant green color. Even in Indian flag, the green color represents the Muslim population in India. So, in the last century, green color was only used by the Muslim weavers while creating rugs that were used to perform prayers and prostration. However, gradually, in order to comply with the demand of Western market, the green color also started getting used in other rugs and carpets to be used as general floor coverings. These beautifully designed carpets were then exported at good profits.
Besides colors representing the people and religion of a nation, colors are believed to convey a certain emotion or omen. For example, red, which is also the most widely used background color in rugs, is thought to symbolize happiness and joy. It is also the color of love and affection. Similarly, Chinese people believe that yellow and gold colors are related to royalty and symbolize wealth, kingship and authority. White, the fusion of the spectrum colors, is thought to signify peace and purity; like a white-colored dove signifies calm and peace. Brown, which is also the color of soil and the earth, is associated with fertility and harvest.
To recapitulate, the carpet color schemes that have been passed further down the generations, have assimilated certain symbolizations of different meanings, messages and emotions. Like any piece of art, an observing eye can pinpoint visible links between the color patterns and the cultural roots of the area of production of a carpet.
