Savouring Pleasures of Life with Turkish Carpets
Gorgeous Oriental carpets rank among the most alluring things that one can have in the personal collection, in the living room floor or hanged in the wall. However, choosing one of them can be a challenge. Such rugs can be compared to highly valuable ‘objets d’art’ like paintings or sculptures. Carpet weaving remains one of the most ancient ways for the expression of applied arts. The ideal way to buy an oriental rug would be to travel at the countries where they are made. Traveling to Iran, Afghanistan, the Caucasus region or Turkey would be the perfect way for learning more how these rugs are made.
Lucky are the persons who did this, because traveling to a region that is currently is going through difficult moments is not safe. For the moment, Turkey is one of the safest countries to travel. On the other hand, Turks are some of the most ancient carpet weavers. The area of Anatolia is strongly linked to carpets. The Turkish tribes that arrived in the area during the 11th century. The cities of Sivas, Konya and Kayseri turned into important centers of production and the rugs made were named after the name of these cities.
At first, these rugs presented floral and geometrical motifs and reflected tribal influences. Later, images of animals started to be included in carpets. Even though few rugs from that period remained, European painters from the Renaissance period included them in their paintings. In the 15th century, Anatolian carpets started to appear in renaissance art. The artworks of Lotto, Bellini, Holbein, Memling, Carpaccio and many others that were fascinated by oriental handicrafts served as perfect ways of documentation for the rugs imported from Turkey.
In the same period, the cities of Bergama and Usak or Oushak gained importance as weaving centers. Other carpets that were made at the area along with Kayseri, Konya Oushak, and Bergama are Milas, Sivas, Kula and Yuruk. Some of these are also recognized as Transylvanian rugs because they have been found in churches in Transylvania. Hereke is another area near Istanbul that was famous because of its exclusivity for the production of carpets for the Ottoman Sultans. Even though the time of Sultans faded long time ago, Hereke remains still one of the places where are weaved some of the finest rugs.
Carpet weaving is one of the oldest crafts in Turkey and the rugs produced in the country are highly wanted by interior decorators. They fit in every home design due to their nomadic origin, which makes it easy to pair patterns. Nomadic carpets rank among the most wanted oriental rugs.
Another important detail about Turkish rugs is that they have been mostly weaved by women. This fact is believed to explain the harmony of designs and patterns in Turkish rugs. Designs are chosen to be in harmony with each other, thus to create a language of expression. Each element is carefully selected in order to create the unity of the carpet. Women weavers consider their creations as poetry expressed in knots and motifs.
Currently, the rugs made in Turkey portray patterns that include medallions, flowers Safavid-Persian style arabesques and carefully chosen colors that can fit in every room. Prayer rugs or nomadic carpets, each of them will enlighten your house. Now that you know more about Turkish rugs, it will be easier to find one without traveling to Turkey and remember that you can never outfox a Turkish merchant of rugs.
