The Turquoise Coast of Antalya is known for its deep blue waters while the nearby Taurus Mountains are known for the Dosemealti rugs, hand-knotted by the semi-nomadic Yoruk tribes. Differently from the warm coast of Antalya the Yoruk tribes live in an area where the weather is cold. Yoruk is the Turkish word used for nomad people, especially those of Turkmen origin that live in the southern part of the country. They continue to follow their nomadic traditions and one of them includes the creation of hand-knotted Dosemealti rugs.
These are rugs of thick piles made of hand-spun wool that are used for floor covering or hanged in walls in order to keep homes warm when the weather gets too cold, but their functions go far beyond practical purposes. It takes about two months to complete a Dosemealti rug. The two main tribes that live in the Taurus Mountains are the Sari Kecili that means yellow goat and Karakoyunlu that means black sheep. They have preserved their ancient heritage, which extends in an heirloom of speech, such as tales, stories, and proverbs. Another trait of nomads is that they express their culture in material items like clothing and handicrafts. This means that they have a lot of stories to tell and easy ways of expression like weaving. Each of the tribes has its own weaving techniques.
Symbols and colors
The specific of these two tribes is that men assist women during the spinning process, an unusual thing in other parts of Turkey. They use goat and sheep wool that is provided by their large herds of livestock. They use vegetable dyes that provide vivid colors for their rugs such as dark blue, reds, and white, which are used for the creation of unique and rare patterns. Meanwhile, different symbols are used in Dosemealti rugs. They can be images of animals or humans in a geometric shape that provide order and harmony. The sheep eye, the scorpion, eagles, the knife tip, hands on hip, camels and the tree of life are some of the common symbols that the Yoruk tribes use.
Each one of the rugs that they made is special and there are not two equal Dosemealti rugs. These hand-knotted rugs made of natural fibers and vegetable dyes with an average of 200,000 knots per square meter are an interesting choice for people passionate about nomad rugs.
