The original tribal or village kilim area rug was made long before the age of planned obsolescence and fickle fashion by people who valued their few possessions, so it was a sturdy product meant to last long with normal care under the trying conditions of a nomad tent or village home. Coddled by conveniences, as we are today, it may be hard for us to imagine the hardships endured by those folk in their daily lives, but it seems safe to presume that they could not have exercised as much care for their kilims as we can under our living conditions. So we are of the opinion that the survival of those kilim rugs that have defied age is due more to their original sturdiness than to tender loving care.

No matter how sturdy they were when first woven, however, vintage kilim area rugs in the 'antique', 'semi-antique' and 'old' categories have by now earned the extra care we are wont to bestow on age. We can also be confident that today's weavers of repute take pride in their work and produce sturdy, durable kilim area rugs. So if you want your kilim rug to last long, it behooves you to buy one of good quality and then treat it with the care it deserves. It hardly needs saying that a kilim rug of inferior quality cannot be expected to wear well and last long with constant use, but it may well serve a specific decorative purpose and its life can be considerably extended by appropriate care.