The bottom of the Wadden Sea seems to be hiding plenty of secrets. Recently, divers from Texel’s local diving club discovered a rare, 17-century gown and now another dive has revealed yet another exceptional discovery.

The Palmhout (boxwood) Wreck is gradually yielding up its secrets.

The divers have discovered parts of an oriental rug while on a dive to the Palmhout Wreck, where they previously found the gown. Researchers Ebeltje Hartkamp-Jonxis and Hillie Smit are elated: “It’s like finding the remnants of a Rembrandt on the table in front of you.”

The rug, which is decorated with floral and animal patterns, was probably made in Lahore in Pakistan and dates from the second quarter of the seventeenth century. Almost no other rugs with animal figures survive from that period.

Come and see the rug

The fragments of rug are on display in the exhibition Duiken in details at Kaap Skil, the beachcombers and sailors museum.

Photographer: RKD Vicky Foster