Oriental carpets have always been prized in the West as luxurious and beautiful objects, but understanding their structure is essential to fully appreciating them. This book showcases 100 superb examples from the Victoria and Albert Museum's outstanding collection, which represents all the major carpet-weaving traditions from China to Turkey and is of great interest to today's many collectors and connoisseurs of these precious works. The text clearly explains the basic techniques involved in carpet weaving throughout the East, while diagrams and photographic details explain how to examine and interpret the structure of any carpet. Excellent color reproductions of the most important and interesting carpets in the V & A's collections, including the world-famous Ardabil carpet, are accompanied by individual commentaries. Many of the carpets shown here have never been published before.