The Ardabil Carpet is the world’s oldest dated carpet and one of the largest, most beautiful and historically important.
1539-1540 CE
It was made in the town of Ardabil in north-west Iran, the burial place of Shaykh Safi al-Din Ardabili, who died in 1334. The Shaykh was a Sufi leader, ancestor of Shah Ismail, founder of the Safavid dynasty (1501-1722). While the exact origins of the carpet are unclear, it’s believed to have been commissioned by the court for the shrine of the Shaykh, which, by the 16th century, had became a place of pilgrimage.
ardabil north-west iran
Point in Timeline | Post 500 CE
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