Magical Carpet

• Type: Transportation, Charmed Object
• Owners: Widely owned by wizards and witches in various parts of the world, particularly in the East. Ali Bashir is a known trader of these items.
• Maker: Unspecified, likely various individual enchanters and weavers.

A Magical Carpet, also known as a flying carpet, is a woven textile rug that has been enchanted for flight. While their appearance is not described in great detail in the primary novels, they are understood to be similar to traditional, often intricately patterned, Muggle carpets. They are known to come in various sizes, as Arthur Weasley mentions acquiring a “twelve-seater” while on holiday, indicating their capacity to carry multiple passengers.

The primary magical property of a Magical Carpet is its ability to fly. They serve as a mode of personal and group Transportation, much like a Broomstick. Unlike Broomsticks, carpets offer a more stable and comfortable platform for travel, capable of carrying multiple passengers and significant amounts of luggage with ease. This has led to some resentment among British wizards, who are forced to use the less comfortable Broomstick (Pottermore). The specific method of controlling a Magical Carpet is not detailed in the novels.

Flying carpets are a traditional and accepted form of magical travel in many countries, especially in the East (Pottermore). At one point, they were also a popular mode of transport in Britain, considered a serious rival to the Broomstick (Quidditch Through the Ages). However, the British Ministry of Magic eventually banned them. The rationale for the ban is that a carpet is a defined Muggle artifact. Enchanting it for flight is therefore a breach of the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects. This law is intended to uphold the International Statute of Secrecy, as a flying rug would be too easily identifiable by Muggles. This ban on imports and usage remains in effect in Britain during the 1990s. The issue is a point of international debate, as shown when the foreign wizard Ali Bashir attempts to persuade the Ministry to lift the ban so he can export his carpets. Barty Crouch Sr., then Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, was a firm opponent of this, strictly enforcing the law.

The Magical Carpet is primarily featured in discussions within Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, serving as an important world-building element that illustrates the scope and bureaucracy of magical law. The debate over their legality highlights the cultural differences between the British magical community and those in other parts of the world. It also serves to develop the characters of Arthur Weasley, whose fascination with Muggle objects makes him interested in the carpets, and Barty Crouch Sr., whose rigid adherence to rules puts him in direct opposition. The existence of the ban on a seemingly useful object demonstrates the complexities and sometimes peculiar priorities of the Ministry of Magic.

• The concept of a flying carpet is drawn from ancient folklore and literature, most famously from the collection of Middle Eastern folk tales known as One Thousand and One Nights.
• The supplementary book Quidditch Through the Ages confirms that carpets were once a popular mode of transport in Britain before being outlawed.
• According to an article on Wizarding World, the ban is a source of private frustration for British wizards who envy the comfort of carpets compared to the discomfort of Broomstick saddles (Pottermore).