This is the area that takes its name from the major mountain range from the Black Sea to the Caspian.

Caucasus is a former Persian province and weaving dates back to the sixteenth century; rugs show the influence of the region's early Christian and Muslim heritage.

I am always on the lookout for old Caucasian rugs but this gets steadily more difficult as world demand means that very few actually get to market. I have to rely on contacts in Turkey to get Caucasian rugs from the Russian and Armenian travellers who manage to cross the borders with them.

Their primitive charm and increasing rarity means these rugs are becoming very expensive. One client of mine recently sold an antique Talish runner at auction in London and found it had increased its value by seven times what they paid for it ten years ago!

Caucasian rugs typically feature brilliant colours, highly-stylised geometric motifs and bold designs.

Many have dates from the Moslem calendar woven into their pattern. They are woven from durable handspun wool for extremely cold conditions and will often come from Sirvan, Kazak, Karabagh, Baku and Kuba.