While antique Tibetan Carpets go back many centuries, the commercial boom of the Tibetan carpet industry started in the late 1900s. A big credit for the rise of this industry in Nepal goes towards the Swiss Association for Technical Assistance (SATA).

SATA in 1960s helped the Tibetan refugees in Nepal promote their age old art of weaving traditional Tibetan carpets. To support the Tibetan refugee community, SATA established multiple handicraft centers in the major Tibetan settlement areas.

Chailsa Handicraft Centre in Solukhumbu was the first factory that SATA invested in that produced Tibetan Carpets in Nepal. They also provided aid towards the construction of a small air strip to transport these products to Kathmandu. SATA also assisted in launching two more factories-Jawlakhel Handicraft Center in Kathmandu and Tashiling Handicraft Center in Pokhara. They facilities produced carpets as well as smaller handicraft items like the traditional Tibetan shoes redesigned for western wear, bags, sweaters and blankets.

Today the Tibetan Nepalese Carpets are exported globally with the carpet industry becoming one of the major sources of income for the country.  With the rise in popularity and demand, the industry employs countless Nepalese families as well as Tibetan refugees.