This rug has been walked on until the fibers are basically gone in the traffic areas.
Whether it’s a handwoven Sarouk, a machine made Karastan, or a rug you inherited from your grandmother that you know nothing about beyond the sentimental attachment, you don’t want your rug(s) to end up looking like this:
With proper care and maintenance, your rugs will last longer, look better, and possibly even increase in value over time. The problem is that wool rugs in particular can hold an extraordinary amount of dirt and particulate matter in them before they even begin to look dirty. Wool is an opaque fiber, and will “hide” the dirt, while most carpeting is made from synthetic polymers that are translucent, and show dirt much quicker.
That means that it’s going to take longer for you to realize your rug is dirty, and all the while, there will be dirt and particulate down inbetween the fibers, acting as an abrasive, and when you walk across the rug, crushing the fibers together, the dirt will be accelerating wear and tear on the fibers.
Have your rugs cleaned, by a professional who uses cleaning agents designed for the task and has some formal education on the subject, every 1 to 2 years in order to keep them looking and feeling their best!