“History is a never-ending chain of events, but it is hold together by strings. If we cut one of the strings, we can no longer take any event for granted.”
 – Rui Tavares

Perhaps the most defining moment impacting and shaping Arraiolos’ history was a decree by King Manuel I, who inherited the Portuguese throne in 1495, two centuries after King Dinis granted a charter for a town in 1290, which was established within the castle walls that were built between 1306 and 1310, but abandoned in the same century in favour of the town that was spreading down the sunny south-facing hillside.  

On 5 December 1496, King Manuel I issued a decree ordering all the Jews and Muslims residing in the country to leave before the end of the following October, or convert to Christianity. By doing so Portugal became the first Christian kingdom to expel its entire Muslim population, and even though there are no surviving documents to shed light on why the king decided to expel the Muslim minority, which remained after the Reconquista, there are various theories. This stood in sharp contrast with the expulsion of Jews, and in particular Castillian Conversos, which was a direct result of negotiations with Queen Isabel of Castile and King Fernando of Aragón for their daughter Isabel´s hand in marriage.

The 18^th century Dominican historian Pedro Monteiro claimed that the expulsion of the Muslims was suggested to the king by his Dominican confessor Friar Jorge Vogado, but this has been dismissed by more recent historians.

From the start of his reign, Manuel I was focused on renewing the crusade against the Muslims in Morocco. In fact, he said to his cortes, or special parliament, when it convened in the town of Montemor-o-novo in 1495 that the renewal of Portuguese territorial expansion in Morocco was to be one of the main objectives of his reign.  Because both Portugal and Castile claimed the right to extend the Reconquista against Islam into North Africa, it meant that King Manuel I’s ambitions came with complex diplomatic negotiations with the Papal Curia in Rome for their support. This, according to François Soyer lies at the heart of why the king issued a decree expelling all Muslims from its territory, and as the Muslim population was small, its expulsion wouldn´t have impacted harshly on the economy, but it would have elevated the king to the status of a Christian King.

According to the Portuguese historian António de Sousa Silva Costa Lobo the expulsion didn´t actually happen, and the king merely abolished organized Islamic worship and confiscated communal property of Muslim communities. Although there is evidence that many Muslims left Portugal in the late winter and spring of 1497, it is also true that Muslims like the last imam of the Lisbon commune, Mafamede Láparo and his wife Zoaira, Ale Azulejo and his wife Alima, and various others didn´t leave the kingdom, or converted to Christianity, but remained in Lisbon. From this it can be assumed that although an expulsion decree was issued, it may not have been strictly enforced.

It is this decree that lies at the heart of the theory of how Arraiolos became not only a centre for rug making, but developed its own unique style. It is said that it was the southward migration of Lisbon’s Muslim community to where people were more tolerant with regards to religious matters that brought with them the skills to start the industry.

Another reason given as to why it was easy for Arraiolos to birth a rug making tradition, was its large dyeing complex, which is said to have been popular among the Moors on the site that is now the town square, or Praça do Município, and the Arraiolos Rug Interpretation Centre until the late 15^th century. Of the 95 pits that were identified during the archaeological excavations in 2003, 10 were analysed, and showed traces of red wool fibre. Archaeologists, after taking in consideration the shape and placement of the structures, as well as the rug making tradition of the town, concluded that it served as a wool dying facility much like the ones found in North Africa and Pompeii. Further excavations in 2011 and 2012, done on the site of the old Hospital do Espírito Santo, which now serves as the Arraiolos Rug Interpretation Centre, revealed 38 more structures. During the excavation, evidence dating back to the Bronze Age was found, and although it has been covered up again, one can view some of these structures through the glass floor of what was once the old hospital chapel.

Bibliographical sources about the materials that were used in the dyeing process are both recent and scarce. One publication dating from 1906 mentions a study carried out in 1834 by Cunha Rivara, in which various recipes are described for obtaining several hues of blue, red, carnation, yellow, green, purple, and brown. Brazilwood, indigo, spurge flax, logwood, and weld are mentioned as natural dyes, while alum is referred to as the mordant or dye fixative that were used.

An analytical study of some rugs from the National Museum of Ancient Arts in Lisbon, done in the laboratory of the University of Évora between 2007 and 2010, confirmed the above natural dyes, except for logwood. They also identified madder and cochineal that were used to obtain purple and orange hues.

Although the theory of how Arraiolos is tied to the Muslim community is plausible, the oldest documented reference to Arraiolos rugs date from 1598, a whole century after the expulsion decree, while the oldest physical examples date from the 17^th century.

During the 15^th and 16^th century, Turkish carpets from the Ottoman Empire and Moorish carpets from Castile were dominating tastes, while a shift towards Mughal rugs from India in the middle of the 16^th century introduced a different aesthetic taste among the Portuguese elite.

Persian rugs, and to some extent Turkish rugs acted as the main source of inspiration for the artisans who made the oldest Arraiolos rugs. They weren’t mere copies, but a starting point for a distinct style that developed over time. Other influences were Indo-Portuguese bedspreads and tile patterns of the time.

During the first half of the 18^th century locally influenced decorative motifs started to slowly make their appearance, so that by the middle of the century it was common to find a mix of oriental and local motifs. This was a gradual shift, but towards the end of the century oriental designs almost all but disappeared.

This has been referred to as the ´popular period´, and stretches from 1750 to the late 19^th century, and represents a peak in creative freedom. The rug makers relied on their own creativity and imagination, instead of buying into a specific stylistic trend. Portugal turned towards Europe and the new ideas emerging from the Enlightenment, instead of looking towards and being inspired by oriental art.  

Towards the end of the 19^th century the rug industry in Arraiolos almost completely disappeared, until in 1897, José Queiroz, a renowned visual artist and decorator of the time, initiated a revival. With the opening of Casa Pia in Évora, it initiated a time in which institutions were established which employed young orphan girls or girls from the poorest economic classes of society. In doing so it combined philanthropy with the revival of the Arraiolos rug tradition. An exhibition of Arraiolos rugs at the Convento do Carmo in Lisbon in 1917 also helped to make the Portuguese public aware of this artform, which further contributed to boost the number of rug makers.

Sheep farming has been a prominent economic activity in the region for centuries, which means the availability of wool for making rugs were in ample supply. In 1573, out of the 122 residents in town, there were 18 weavers, 7 carders, 2 fullers, 2 shearers, 1 dyer, and 1 tanner.

The fabric forming the base of the rugs was manufactured in the village for centuries, with men traditionally working on the loom. Between the 17^th and first half of the 18^th century, the fabric for the rugs was made from pre-treated linen and linen tow, while course hemp and canvas were used from the second half of the 18^th century until the 19^th century. From the 20^th century until the present day, jute has been used as a base for the embroidery.

Traditional designs consist of a centre, a field, and a border, and is symmetrical, comprising four identical squares. Technically known as the Oblique Cross Stitch, the Arraiolos Stitch is the predominant stitch used in creating the rugs. Another popular stitch is the Stem Stitch, and because more stitches per square is used, it gives these carpets a more refined look that is sometimes described as an embroidered painting.

It seems that life in Arraiolos had always revolved around the different aspects of rug making. From the collection of dyes to the production and processing of wool, as well as the actual embroidering of the carpets.

Today, the town’s identity is still linked to this age-old craft, and although I only spent a couple of hours in this charming village with its white-washed walls and traditional blue stripes, it is worthy of a much longer visit to fully appreciate its offerings and delights. I for one would love to return to sample the various wines from the farms located within the municipal area.

Notes:
# A fairly big carpet, which retails at roughly 1350 euros, takes about 4 months to make.
# Maria Hortense was just 19 years old when, on the 9^th of June 1985, she created Tapetes Hortense, which has gained worldwide recognition.
# For a browse through a good catalogue of Arraiolos rugs, visit the Casa dos Tapetes de Arraiolos website.
# An interesting paper entitled King Manuel I and the expulsion of the Castilian Conversos and Muslims from Portugal in 1497: new perspectives by François Soyer shed light on why King Manuel I issued decrees to expel the last Muslims and Castilian Conversos from Portugal.
# The Church of Senhor Jesus dos Passos, which is as old as the castle, and served as the town’s main church until the 18th century, is still standing sentry on this windy outpost, and worth the steep uphill walk for the amazing views of the surrounding countryside.

Portuguese Words:
carpets – tapetes
embroidery – bordadura
Arraiolos Stitch – Ponto de Arraiolos
Stem Stitch – Ponto pé-de-flor
dye – corante
to dye – tingir
dyeing process – tingimento
textiles – têxteis
structures – estruturas
excavation – escavação
wool fibre – fibra de lã de ovelha
linen – linho
jute/burlap – serapilheira
canvas – brim
hemp – canhamaço
Persian rugs – os tapetes persas
Turkish rugs – os tapetes turcos
Oriental rugs – os tapetes orientais
a starting point – um ponto de partida
an aesthetic influence – uma influência estética
Indo-Portuguese bedspreads – as colchas Indo-portuguesas
tile patterns – padrões de azulejos

Man have always used plants, small insects, mulluscs and lichens as colouring matter to dye textiles. In addition to dyes, dyers used mordants to fasten and change the colour of the dye. – Deste tempos imemoriais, o homem utiliza plantas, pequenos insetos, muluscos e liquenes domo matéria corante para tingir têxteis.

Written by: Jolandi