The nomads carried small woven woolen rugs so that they could lay them on the sand when they stopped and set up camp. The patterns were probably designed to hide the camel footprints and spilled goat’s milk.
It probably started with packed-down earth…maybe mats woven from fronds or rushes…
I agree with you about my preferred floor coverings today, willbrawn, but we live in a very different world. Carpets were extensions of rugs. They came about because we needed warmth. They were substitutes for furs. The first evidence of animal shearing for fleece dates back to 6000 BC.
Carpet does help keep a room/home warm. I have too many pets for carpet to be practical. Plus, it doesn’t get very cold where I live. I might want it if I lived in Minnesota or someplace like that.