Pile carpet

A pile carpet is a textile in which additional yarns are knotted or looped around the warp threads and cut to create a dense, upright surface known as the pile. This construction distinguishes pile carpets from flatweaves such as kilims or soumaks, which have no raised surface. The pile is typically made from wool, silk, or cotton, and its density, measured in knots per unit area, is a key indicator of quality and fineness. In Oriental carpet production, pile carpets are made using either the symmetrical (Turkish/Ghiordes) or asymmetrical (Persian/Senneh) knot, a distinction that is important for attribution and scholarly analysis.