The Land of Karastan

When I first saw Karastan area rugs, I thought that Karastan was a magical land. Sand swept streets, labyrinthine alleys, genies from lamps, huge mosquey domes with minarets, and Arabic calligraphy – this was the land of Karastan, where rugs are produced by the camel load.

When I inquired as to where Karastan was, I was shocked to find out that the land of my dreams did not exist. But how could these gorgeous rugs not come from Persia? I thought. The salesman told me that they are made in a style completely unique to which no other machine made rug compares.

Upon finding out that Karastan area rugs were originally known as “Mystery Rugs” my desire for magic and mystique was placated. I found out that the rug took abuse abnormally well, much better than a handmade rug, and that it could be cleaned easily to look brand new. This was actually the case, when the first Karastan carpet was put on display at the 1933-4 World’s Fair in Chicago.

After all this information, I decided that I still wanted to visit the land of Karastan, but that doing so would be much easier. I could simply walk into my living room to journey to a different country!