[3] The first ryas originated in the early fifteenth century as coarse, long-piled, heavy covers used by mariners instead of furs.

In the early 9th to 10th centuries, Islamic silk textiles were introduced to Scandinavia by Viking merchants who traded in Russia and the Byzantine Empire.

[3] They used the natural colors of the wool, which were black, white, and grey, to make simple patterns in the high pile.

[3] The pattern of the flat surface of other side was given less attention, and was the part on which the owner worked in their initials into the striped geometric design.

[3] At around 1690, a new kind of rya emerged that mimicked foreign Baroque floral patterns, woven by the daughters and wives of burghers in Stockholm and later in the country.

[2] These ryas would be displayed in the home like tapestries as mementos of the wedding and would often be passed down for generations as family heirlooms.

[6] In the 1970s, rya rugs became popular in the United States, though shag carpet was not extensively advertised or promoted by trendsetters.