PUNTO OF ISTANBUL-Turkish Rugs

Turkey is located in Southwest Asia. Turkey is bordered by
Bulgaria and Greece on the northwest; Black Sea on the
north; Georgia and Armenia on the northeast; Iran on the
east; Iraq, Syria and the Mediterranean Sea on the south;
and Aegean Sea on the west. Turkey covers an area of
779, 452 sq km (300,948 sq mi) with a population of
approximately 65 million. Turkey's capital is Ankara.
The earliest Anatolian (Turkish) handmade rugs date back
to the thirteenth century. Many examples of Anatolian rugs
can be seen in European paintings from 1350 to 1450.
Rugs have been woven in Turkey for at least as long as
they have been in Iran.
Rugs produced today are generally very beautiful and high
quality. In the late 1970s the government began a program
to improve the quality and profitability of the rug industry.
The program reintroduced the use of natural dyes and
traditional weaving methods. Thus, DOBAG (a Turkish
acronym meaning Natural Dye Research and Development
Project) was created. Turkey produces a wide variety of
village and workshop rugs particularly in Hereke, which also
produces one of the best silk rugs in the world and, to a
lesser extent, in Kayseria.
Iran, India or China, it is still considered a large exporter of
handmade rugs. Market sizing data from the exporting
countries is difficult to obtain, as some of the countries may
not track the data or disclose it. Nevertheless, from foreign
embassies, industry specialists, and magazine articles, the
1998 rug export estimate for Turkey is 150 million dollars.

Carpets are among the best known art forms produced by the Turks. There are environmental, sociological,
economic, and religious reasons for the widespread art of carpet weaving among the Turkish people.
In the regions where the Turks have lived, temperatures changed greatly between day and night, summer and winter.
Turks, whether nomadic or farming, have protected themselves from the extremes of the cold weather with carpets.
The carpets are almost always handmade of wool, but sometimes cotton is added.
In the traditional households, women and girls take up carpet weaving as a hobby as well as a means of earning
money. Even as factory-made carpets became easier and cost less they cannot reduce the popularity of carpets in
homes.
Turkish carpets are among the most sought after household items all over the world. Their rich colors, warm tones,
and extraordinary patterns with traditional motifs have contributed to the status that Turkish carpets have maintained
since the 13th century.
Turkish carpets in the 15th and 16th centuries are best known through European paintings. In the 17th century, when
the Netherlands became a powerful trading country, Turkish carpets where displayed in many homes there.
No two carpets are the same; each one is a creation from anew. Because traditionally women have woven the carpets,
this is one art form that rarely appreciated as being the work of art.

At present, it is impossible to prove exactly when and where rug weaving began, as there is no reliable source, but
it can be traced back as early the Neolithic age (7000 B.C.)
The first examples consisting of warp and weft were textile products which resembled flat weave kilims.
Then rugs were created by forming knots to make a pile.
According to scientist, rug weaving must have originated in the dry steppe regions where the nomadic tribes lived.
Central Asia was a suitable location for the first rug-weaving center because of the availability of land for herding
sheep and because of the climate of the region.
Rugs have been used in the home as floor coverings, blankets, tablecloths and decorations. They acquire value as
they are used, whereas most objects decrease in value over time.
The oldest example known in the history of hand-make rugs is the one which is exhibited in the St. Petersburg
Hermitage Museum in the Russian Federation. This fantastic rug was discovered by the Russian archaeologist
RUDENKO in the year 1949 and is known as the" Pazarik Rug". The majority of experts believe that there is a link
between ancient Turkish culture and this particular rug; they also believe that the other items found in the Pazarik
Turnulus have some connection to Turkish civilization.
Rug weaving in Anatolia first began with the arrival of the Turkish tribes from Central Asia, who settled in this
region. Therefore, Anatolian rugs form a branch of ethnic Turkish rugs.
Some of the oldest examples known are the eighteen surviving pieces women by the Selcuk Turks in the 13 th
century. The motifs in these pieces represented in stylized floral and geometrical patterns in several basic colors
and were woven in Sivas, Kayseri and the capital Konya.
The art of rug weaving which began with the Selcuks continued with the Ottoman Turks. After the Selcuk Turks and
before the Ottomans (during the transition period in the 14 th century) animal figures began to appear on the rugs.
Although very few of these exist today, they can be seen in the paintings of famous Italian, French, Dutch and
Flemish painters. Due to the animal figures on these rugs, they are referred to as " Rugs with Animals ".
By the 15 th century, there was a wider variety of animal motifs on the rugs. A new group of rugs with a combination
of animal motifs and geometrical patterns appeared around this time.
These rugs were called " Holbein Rugs " since they appear in paintings by the German artist Hans Holbein. As
there are no surviving examples of these rugs today, all research is carried out from the paintings. The works of
artists such as Lotto, Memling, Carlo Crivelli, Rafaellino de Gardo, B.Van Orley, Carpaccio, Jaume Huguet were
also important sources of research.
In this century, Bergama and Ushak became important weaving centers in western Anatolia.
The 16 th century saw the beginning of the second successful period of Anatolian rug-weaving. The rugs from this
period are called "Classial Ottoman Rugs". The reason these rug are called " Palace rug" is that the design and
colors would have been determined by the palace artists and then sent to the weaving centers. this method was
similar to that used in the ceramic tile production of that period.
The designs, which consisted of twisting branches, leaves, and flowers such as tulip, carnations and hyacinths, are
woven in a naturalistic style and establish the basic composition of the rug.
This style was continued in other regions and can be seen in Turkish rugs today.
In the 16 th 17 th and 18th century, Gordes (Ghordes), Kula, Milas, Ladik, Mucur, Kirsehir,
Bandirma and Canakkale (Dardanelles) Gained importance as rug-weaving centers, along with Ushak and
Bergama. The rugs woven in some of these regions are known as " Transylvanian Rugs" because they were found
in churches in Transylvania.
In the beginning of the 19th and 20th centuries, the palace based in Istanbul and in Hereke, The rugs woven in
Kumkapi (Istanbul) and Hereke gained worldwide recognition. The finest silk rugs in the world are still being woven
in Hereke today.
We can identify the rugs woven in different regions as town or village rugs. The rugs woven in the agricultural areas
of Anatolia owe their origins to the settlers or nomadic cultures. In Europe, these rugs (which are woven with wool
on wool ) are generally called "Anatolian Rug" In towns where people have settle permanently, the rugs are woven
with a wool on cotton combination.
Today in Turkey, there are regions which keep this wonderful tradition alive; such rugs are woven in Konya,
Kayseri, Sivas, Hereke, Yagcıoglu, Kula, Dosemealti, Taspinar, Istarya, Milas, Bergama, Canakkale, Enize, Kars,
Ushak, Ghordes, Fethiye and Yahyali.