[Illustration: XVIII]

XIX. The Medallion, in both floral and geometrical designs, is seen in
many rugs of all rug-weaving countries.

[Illustration: XIX]

There are many more designs which by careful investigation can be found.
Among others the Arabesque, Chinese fret, Circle, Comb, various forms of
the Cross, Mina Khani, Octagon, the S form, Scroll, Serrated leaves,
Shah Abbas, the Star,--six or eight pointed,--the Tarantula, Triangle,
the Y form, and the Zigzag.

THE DYES

When doing their best work, Oriental weavers use the softest of
permanent dyes. The result obtained is in every case a thing of beauty
and utility. The aniline dyes are, of course, not to be compared to the
vegetable, although the best of them are not to be utterly condemned.
The poorest aniline dye eats into the rug, and the color fades.

[Illustration: WOOL DRYING AFTER DYEING]

Madder ranks high among those plants which yield a permanent dye. It
belongs to the genus _Rubia_; the root employed is that of the _Rubia
tinctorum_. This is largely cultivated in certain districts of India,
but the best comes from near Smyrna, and from other parts of Asiatic
Turkey. The plant grows wild throughout a large section of Central Asia
and Russia. With both the European and the Indian madders the roots of
the plants are the only parts that yield the dye. In the roots three
coloring matters are obtained: alizarin and purpurin, which are both
red, and xanthin, which is yellow. Cochineal was introduced for dyeing
purposes in 1856. It is the product of an insect called _Coccus cacti_,
which lives on a species of cactus. Yellow is often produced from
Persian berries, turmeric, saffron, and sumac.

Tyrian purple dye was greatly prized by the Phoenicians. As stated
above, it was obtained from a shellfish; but the secret was known only
to the maritime Canaanites. The art of producing this dye has been lost,
although some aver that in recent years it has been re-discovered.

Kermes, red in color, is one of the oldest of all dyes. It was known in
Syria, 1200 B.C. It is not so brilliant as cochineal, but it is much
more durable. Plutarch is authority for the statement that after one
hundred and ninety years stuffs dyed with kermes retained their original
color. The dye is the product of the bodies of females of the species of
coccus which infest certain trees along the Mediterranean coasts. When
the Romans conquered Spain, a part of the tribute demanded w