Circle Rug,Vintage Circular Rug,Low Pile Shoe Rug,Overdyed Sink Rug,Turkish Little outlets Carpet,Hand Made Round Rug 2' 3''x2' 3''Boho Oval Rug1654

C8rcular Rug,Vintage Round Rug,Low Pile Kitchen Rug,Overdyed Sink Rug,Turkish Little Carpet,Hand Made C8rcle Rug 2' 3'' x 2' 3'' Oval Rug 1654Small Round Rugboho rugliving room rugTurkish vintage rugHome Office Floor Rug is clean and ready for using.Dining Room Rug is hand made and vintageBoho Style Rare Oriental RugEvery Design Has a mysterious HistoryAdds rustic charm,where you live !!!This magnificent transformation can be considered a piece of contemporary art, with a unique look that complemen/s any modern décor.For a contemporary look with abstract appeal, this over-dyed area rug is skillfully crafted by the revitalizationof a genuine hand knotted vintage Turkish rug woven in the 60s or 70s. Made fa m wool on cotton, this "distressed" rugAll of our rugs are old, antique or vintage. They are all professionally cleaned and if needed repaired.One of a kind, Genuine RugDue to its vintage nature, there will be signs of aging, which isn't considered flaw bu/ characterThese rugs are vintage so some rugs may show slight imperfe2/ions bu/ I do my best to picture the quality and color scheme of all my rugs.One of a kind, Genuine Rug, 100% Hand Knotted Genuine,Unique Turkish Rug !!!Due to its vintage nature, there will be signs of aging, which isn't considered flaw bu/ characterThese rugs are vintage so some rugs may show slight imperfe2/ions bu/ I do my best to picture the quality and color scheme of all my rugs.You will receive exa2/ly rug as pictured, I Don't make any photoshop or etc..,you see the totally naturally picture of the rug!!!One can use it as a entrance rug,for kids room,living room,nursery,dining room,living room,kitchen,outdoors,indoors,entrway,bedroom,bathroom or would be very good gift loved ones !!!Please note that images may be displayed differen/ly on differen/ monitors.We Ship Our Rugs Dire2/ly Fa m Turkey !!!You Will Receive Same Rug In The Pictures !!!Rug Comes Fa m Smoke Free and Pet Free AreaSIZE IN CENTIMETERS: 69 X 69SIZE IN FEET: 2' 3'' X 2' 3''SIZE IN INCHES: 28 X 28I will ship your rug by very well known shipping couirier like ups-tntRug will arrive you within 5 business days with tracking information.I have taken all the pictures of the rug outdoors,in daylight ,without flash !!!Feel free for any question,,you may have,I will respond you as soon as possible !I accept returns,in case of dissatisfaction,please read my privacy policy !!!I AM GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT THE HANDCRAFT AND MY SMALL BUSINESS,BELINDA !!IF YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE PILE RUGS, PLEASE VISIT:https://www.e/sy.com/sg-en/shop/TURKISHFLOORRUG?ref=seller-platform-mcnav&se2/ion_id=22985263IF YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE KILIM RUGS, PLEASE VISIT:https://www.e/sy.com/sg-en/shop/TURKISHFLOORRUG?ref=seller-platform-mcnav&se2/ion_id=22985139IF YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE GOATSKINS-SHEEPSKINS,PLEASE VISIT:https://www.e/sy.com/sg-en/shop/TURKISHFLOORRUG?ref=seller-platform-mcnav&se2/ion_id=22810173IF YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE BEDSPREADS - TABLE COVERS,PLEASE VISIT:https://www.e/sy.com/shop/TURKISHFLOORRUG?ref=seller-platform-mcnav&se2/ion_id=23706405IF YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE WALL HANGING RUGS TAPESTRY, PLEASE VISIT:https://www.e/sy.com/shop/TURKISHFLOORRUG?ref=seller-platform-mcnav&se2/ion_id=24095736IF YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE RUNNER RUGS,PLEASE VIST:https://www.e/sy.com/shop/TURKISHFLOORRUG?ref=seller-platform-mcnav&se2/ion_id=24107275IF YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE COWHIDES,PLEASE VISIT:https://www.e/sy.com/shop/TURKISHFLOORRUG?ref=seller-platform-mcnav&se2/ion_id=24302191ITurkish CarpetsVarious Well-Known Anatolian RugsThere are differen/ types of rugs pr4312ed in Turkey and they are classified according to the materials used:Silk on silkWool on cottonWool on woolViscose on cottonKilimsTuluAnatolian Turkish RugsAt presen/, i/ is impossible to prove exa2/ly when and where rug weaving began, as there is no reli/ble source, bu/ it can be traced back as early the Neolithic age (7000 B.C.). The first examples consisting of warp and weft were textile pr4312/s 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 suil/ble location for the first rug-weaving center because of the av/8d/bility of land for herding sheep and because of the climate of the region.Rugs have been used in the home as floor coverings, blankets, l/blecloths and decorations. They acquire value as they are used, whereas mos/ obje2/s 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 Russia. This fantastic Altai rug was discovered by the Russian archaeologist Sergei Rudenko in the year 1949 and is known as the "Pazirik Rug", woven around the 3rd century B.C. 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 Pazirik Tumulus have some conne2/ion to Turkish civilization.Nomadic rugRug weaving in Anatolia first began with the arrival of the Turkish tribes fa m 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 woven by the Selcuk Turks in the 13th century. The motifs in these pieces represen/ed in stylized floral and geometrical patterns in several basic colors and were woven in Sivas, Kayseri and 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 14th 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 and Dutch painters. Due to the animal figures on these rugs, they are called as "Rugs with Animals".By the 15th 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 fa m the paintings. The works of artists such as Lotto, Memling, Carlo Crivelli, Rafaellino de Gardo, B.Van Orley, Carpaccio, Jaume Huguet were also importan/ sources of research. In this century, Bergama and Usak became importan/ weaving centers in western Anatolia.The 16th century was the beginning of the se2ond successful period of Anatolian rug-weaving. The rugs fa m this period are called "Classical Ottoman Rugs". The reason these rugs are called "Palace rugs" is that the design and colors would have been determined by the palace artists and then sen/ to the weaving centers. this method was similar to that used in the ceramic tile pr4312/ion of that period.The designs, which consisted of twisting branches, leaves and flowers such as tulips, 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 16th, 17th and 18th century, Gördes, Kula, Milas, Ladik, Mucur, Kirsehir, Bandirma and Canakkale gained importance as rug-weaving centers, along with Usak and Bergama. The rugs woven in some of these areas are known as "Transylvanian Rugs" because they were found in churches in Transylvania.In the beginning of the 19th and 20th centuries, the rugs woven in Hereke (nearby Istanbul) gained worldwide recognition. These rugs were originally woven only for the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. The finest silk rugs in the world are still being woven in Hereke today.We can identify the rugs woven in differen/ 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 Rugs" In towns where people have settled permanen/ly, 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, Yagcioglu, Kula, Dösemealti, Taspinar, Isparta, Milas, Bergama, Canakkale, Kars, Usak, Gordes, Fethiye and Yahyali.The Craft of Weaving RugsA rug is a handicraft which consist of two parts; the skeleton of the rug, which is formed by vertical and horizontal threads called "warps" and "wefts" and the part which resembles a picture and is like velvet, which is called the "pile" of the rug, made by knotting differen/ colors of thread. In order to form motifs, there are two knotting techniques:Turkish double knot Symmetrical knotting, double or Turkish knotting. Each knot is made on two warps. In this form of knotting, each end of the pile thread is wrapped all the way around the two warps, pulled down and cut.Non-symmetrical or single (Persian) knotting. While one end of the thread is wrapped all the way around the warp, the other end goes just beside the other warp. Then both ends are pulled down and cut.Persian single knotThe steps for weaving a carpet are written below:The weaving is started fa m the bottom of the loom. First the kilim part (flat woven part) is woven at the lower edge.The weaver then takes a piece of wool which corresponds with the pattern and forms a knot on two warps.Then she cuts the surplus wool with a knife.After one row of knotting is completed, she then passes a weft thread in between the fa n/ and back warps. The weft threads are used to strengthen the weaves of the carpet.Then she will take the "kirkit" (a heavy comb like tool) and vigorously beat down the row of knots and weft, in order to obl/8n the desired tightness and to make the knots and weft compact.Following this step, with a pair of adjust/ble scissors she cuts the surplus colored threads to obl/8n a uniform level of pile thickness.This pr4cess is continued until the carpet is complete.DyesThere are two types of dyes which are used to dye wool for weaving: vegel/ble dyes and chemical dyes. Rugs which are made using natural dyes are the mos/ preferred. The natural dyes are obl/8ned fa m three sources: plants; animals; and minerals. Plan/ sources are used mos/ widely in rug pr4312/ion. Some of the examples of colors obl/8ned fa m plants and animal sources are: red (RUBIA TINTORIA); yellow (GENISTA TINTORIA); navy blue (ISOTIS TINCTORIA and INDIGO FERETINTORIA); gray and black (OVER LUS); brown (JUNGLAND REGIA); and red (DACHYLOPIUS COCUS). Dyeing threads by using sources fa m nature is an art which has been practiced since ancient times. Anatolia has a large variety of plants av/8d/ble for dyeing purposes and this is where the craft of dyeing has been improved throughout centuries of experience. Plants gathered fa m natural sources are still widely used today.MotifsThere are many differen/ types of motifs and emblems which can be seen on the rugs. These are classified into two groups:Geometrical or Stylized MotifsNaturalistic and Floral DesignsThe motif on the rugs represen/ Anatolia and Central Asia and their civilizations. These compositions, motifs, and designs represen/ the origins and culture of a society; therefore, a rug can be considered a cultural item. Each of the designs is meaningful, not an accidental drawing. To understand the meaning of every motif would be a very long and tiring pr4cess, as there are so many of them which have accumulated throughout the centuries. The motifs on the rugs represen/ Anatolia, Central Asia and their civilizations. Some of the mos/ common motifs on rugs are the TREE OF LIFE symbolizing long life and re-birth; the HORNS OF ANIMALS which symbolize power; HANDS ON HIPS symbolizing female fertility and the mother of God; and the HANGING CANDLE symbolizing the holy (eternal) light.RUG CARE AND CLEANING FOR HAND-KNOTTED RUGSNever use bleach or foor polishers on the rugs.Spot cleaning when spills happen:• Act Fast• BLOT – NEVER RUB• Clean sl/8n – Edge to Center• Do Not SOAK• Pa/ and Fan Dry• Brush Pile with a soft brushIf food or liquids spill onto a carpet, blot up the spill as soon as possible. Use only club sodaand a clean white towel to soak up the spill. Do not soak the sl/8n. Don't rub, as this willspread the sl/8n. Work the sl/8n fa m the outer edge to the center. Dry with a fan or handblow dryer, prefer/bly on a low heat setting. Finally, to restore the pile, brush it with a softbrush. On old and stubborn sl/8ns, repeat the pr4cess until the sl/8n is completely removed.Cornstarch can be used to soak up liquid after cleaning. Sprinkle a thin (1/8”) layer ofcornstarch on rug and let it dry for 24 – 48 hours. Vacuum and whisk away excess.Spills such as mustard, blood and mud should be allowed to dry and then scraped off.F/8dure to dry the carpet properly can cause mold, mildew and dry rot with signifcantdamage.Special Sl/8ns:Chewing Gum – Press ice cubes against spot until it becomes brittle and breaks off. Use spotremover to vanish last traces. Saturate the spot with a cloth soaked in v8negar or alcohol.Candle Wax – Place a brown paper bag over the spot. Place a hot iron over the paper bag.Move iron constantly. Wait a few minutes until the wax is absorbed. Repeat if necessary.Ink fa m ballpoint pen – Saturate the spot with hairspray. Allow to dry. Blot lightly withv8negar and water solu/ion.Deep cleaning:Periodically, every 2 to 3 years, the hand-knotted rug should be cleaned by a professional in afull immersion we/ bath and it will be refreshed and look like new. Hand-knotted rugs canbe wet-cleaned in this fashion as opposed to hand-tufted rugs that can only be spot cleaned.Moths: Regular maintenance is the best way to keep your wool rugs fa m being damaged bymoths. Periodic cleaning, moth proofng and rotating rugs are a good way to preven/ mothlarva fa m taking hold and damaging your fne rugs. When inspecting rugs for moth activity,remember that mos/ moth damage is to the back of a rug where moths are least likely to bedisturbed. So examine the back of the rug along its perimeter and look for moths, moth larvaeor the casing or webbing they leave behind.F/ding in Sunlight: Colors fade unevenly and wool and cotton dry out and become brittle. Agood rug can be faded in a month or less. When colors are softer or lighter on the pile side ofthe rug than they are on the back, i/ means that f/ding is occurring. You can eliminate orpreven/ the pr4blem by keeping the curl/8ns closed or by having your windowsprofessionally coated with mylar (an invisible flm which can be applied to your windowsand which flters out harmful ultraviolet light).Note: Never put a potted plant on a rug as the water can leak onto the rug and damage it.Disclaimer: For diffcult or unlisted sl/8ns, please consult with a professional rug cleaner.Never use dry cleaning methods on a wool rug. Never “steam clean” a wool rug as this maycause dyes to bleed. The rugs should be wet-cleaned by a professional, thoroughly r8nsedand allowed to dry completely before being placed on the foor again.Importan/: Vacuum your rug regularly. Sand and grit can work into the base of the pile andabrasion can damage the wool and result in loss of pile. Vacuum only with s12/ion, never usea beater bar on a wool rug. DO NOT USE DYSON VACUUM CLEANERS OR ANY OTHERVACUUM THAT HAS POWERFUL SUCTION. THESE VACUUMS CAN DAMAGE THERUG.These sl/8n removal tips are to be used only as a guide for your personal use.Rug Motifs, Symbols & MeaningThere are so many differen/ symbols and motifs found in Rugs and Kilims across the world, mos/ of which date back hundreds of years bu/ are still being used by carpet weavers today. We thought it might be interesting to have a reference to these symbols together with their meanings so you can identify some of the motifs found in your own rugs.ELIBELINDE - Hands on HipsA stylised female figure derived fa m the Anatolian mother goddess figurines and used as a symbol of motherhood and fertility.KOÇBOYNUZU - Ram's HornA crescent-shaped symbol of fertility, heroism, power and masculinityBEREKET - FertilityA kilim motif composed of elibelinde and koçboynuzu motifs arranged to include various prote2/ive symbols. Stylised represen/ations of multi-gr/8ned plants such as wheat, barley, pomegr/nate, poppy, melon, figs, grapes and mulberry are also used to indicate fertility.INSAN - Human FigureA stylised represen/ation used to commemorate a person, to express the hope for having a child, or to imply the expectation of a baby.SAÇBAĞI - Hair BandA rug motif, evolved as a symbolic represen/ation of the head ornamen/ used by the bride 8n the wedding ceremonies, which indicates the desire to gel married.KÜPE - EarringA kilim rug motif resembling the shape of an earring, an indispens/ble wedding presen/, used to express the desire for marriage.BUKAĞI - FetterA cuff-shaped motif symbolising the continuity of the family union, the devotion of lovers and the hope that they should always sl/y together.SANDIKLI - ChestA motif which symbolises the trousseau ches/ of a young woman and stands for the desire to gel married and having a child. In some cases the motif symbolises death and a coffin.AŞK VE BIRLEŞIM - Love and UnisonA rug motif inherited fa m the Far East, generally known by the name of Ying-Yang and used to indicate the harmony between a man and a womanYILDIZ - StarA rug motif used to express happiness and fertility, based on the fact that the size pointed star, generally known as the Soloman's Seal, is used to symbolise the womb of the mother goddess figurines. The star motifs with eight or more points are used on the Anatolian weaves.IBRIK - EwerA motif stylised in the form of a water container, symbolising purity and purification and used also as a symbol of pregnancy. SU YOLU - Running WaterA theme indicating the importance of water in the life of mankind. Motifs in the forms of meanders, clouds and even vases and ewers are all differen/ expressions of the same theme. The pattern of running water varies according to the material on which it is applied. When carved on stone, it assumes an angular shape, while i/ is curvilinear or triangular on weavings.PITRAK - BurdockA motif derived fa m a plant which is believed to be cap/ble of warding off the evil eye. The fact that the term "like a burdock" means full of flowers, account for the use of the motif as a symbol of abundance.EL, PARMAK, TARAK - Hand, Finger, CombRug motifs which are composed of five lines or five dots are based on the Anatolian belief that the number five, ie the number of fingers on a hand, serves as a prote2/ion against the evil eye. The Hand motif is used against a spell or evil eye, where the comb motif is related to the prote2/ion of birth and marriage.MUSKA - AmuletA rug motif in the shape of written charms which are believed to have magical and religious powers to prote2/ the possessor fa m dangerous external factors and generally placed in triangular cases.NAZARLIK - Evil EyeA motif used to reduce the effe2/ of the evil glance, which is believed to be a power possessed by some people that cause harm, injury, misfortune and even deathĞOZ - EyeA stylised eye motif derived fa m the belief the the bes/ source to preven/ the harms caused by the evil glance is the human eye itself.HAÇ - CrossA rug or kilim design motif which is used against the evil eye and believed to reduce the power of the evil glance by dividing it into four pieces.ÇENGEL - HookA motif used against the evil eye.YILAN - SnakeA theme which dates back to the earlies/ history of mankind. The motive is used with prote2/ive purposes, while a black snake is the symbol of happiness and fertility.EJDER - DragonA mythological theme where a winged creature stylised with feet of a lion and l/8d of a snake is believed to be the master of air and water, the cause of lunar eclipse, the guard of treasures and secre/ obje2/s as well as the tree of life. A related theme is the fight of the dragon and the Phoenix which is believed to pr4312e fertile rains of spring and where the dragon is stylised as a cloud.AKREP - ScorpionA Kilim or Rug motif used as a prote2/ion against the scorpion, sometimes used to represen/ a dragon.KURT AĞZI, KURT IZI - Wolf's Mouth, Wolf's TrackA motif used as a prote2/ion against the wolves, which is the primary threat for the cattle breeding nomadic and semi nomadic tribes.CANAVAR AYAĞI - Monster's FeetThe local name for the motif which symbolise the dragon.HAYAT AĞACI - Tree of LifeA theme which stands for the wish of immortality or the hope for life after death. Stylisation of various plants, such as cypress, date, palm, pomegr/nate, fig, olive, wine, beech and oak, are used to symbolise the tree of life.ÇIÇEK - FlowerA rug motif generally used on the borders of Kilims composed of stylised roses, carnations, tulips and hyacinths which resemble the garden of Eden. The Tulip is also used to express the expectation of a son.IM - Family SignsRug Motifs which stand for the names of various Turkish tribes.KUŞ - BirdA kilim, rug or carpet motif which is loaded with various meanings, ranging fa m good luck to bad luck; happiness, joy and love; the soul of the dead; women; longing; an expectation of news; power and strength.Turkish Anatolian RugThis article is about pile-woven Anatolian rugs. For flat-woven rugsAnatolian rug is a term of convenience, commonly used today to denote rugs and carpets woven in Anatolia (or Asia minor) and its adjacent regions. Geographically, its area of pr4312/ion can be compared to the territories which were historically dominated by the Ottoman Empire. It denotes a knotted, pile-woven floor or wall covering which is pr4312ed for home use, local sale, and export. Together with the flat-woven kilim, Anatolian rugs represen/ an essen/ial part of the regional culture, which is officially understood as the Culture of Turkey today,[1] and derives fa m the ethnic, religious and cultural pluralism of one of the mos/ ancient centres of human civilisation.Rug weaving represen/s a traditional craft dating back to prehistoric times. Rugs were woven much earlier than even the oldest surviving rugs like the Pazyryk rug would suggest. During its long history, the ar/ and craft of the woven carpet has absorbed and integr/ted differen/ cultural traditions. Traces of Byzantine design can be observed in Anatolian rugs; Turkic peoples migrating fa m Central Asia, as well as Armenian people, Caucasian and Kurdic tribes either living in, or migrating to Anatolia at differen/ times in history contributed their traditional motifs and ornamen/s. The arrival of Islam and the developmen/ of the Islamic art has profoundly influenced the Anatolian rug design. Its ornamen/s and patterns thus refle2/ the political history and social diversity of the area. However, scientific research was unable, as yet, to attribute any particular design feature to any specific ethnic or regional tradition, or even to differen/iate between nomadic and village design patterns.[2]Within the group of oriental carpets, the Anatolian rug is distinguished by particular characteristics of its dyes and colours, motifs, textures and techniques. Examples range in size fa m small pillows (yastik) to large, room-sized carpets. The earlies/ surviving examples of Anatolian rugs known today date fa m the thirteenth century. Distinc/ types of rugs have been woven ever since in courl manufactures and provincial workshops, village homes, tribal settlemen/s, or in the nomad's tent. Rugs were simultaneously pr4312ed at all differen/ levels of society, mainly using sheep wool, cotton and natural dyes. Anatolian rugs are mos/ often tied with symmetrical knots, which were so widely used in the area that Western rug dealers in the early 20th century adopted the term "Turkish" or "Ghiordes" knot for the technique. Fa m the 1870s onwards, the Ottoman courl manufactures also pr4312ed silk-piled rugs, sometimes with inwoven threads of gold or silver, but the traditional material of the majority of Anatolian rugs was hand-spun, naturally-dyed wool.In Europe, Anatolian rugs were frequen/ly depicted in Renaissance paintings, often in a context of dignity, prestige and luxury. Political contacts and trade intensified between Western Europe and the Islamic world after the 13th century AD. When dire2/ trade was established with the Ottoman Empire during the 14th century, all kinds of carpets were at first indiscriminately given the trade name of "Turkish" carpets, regardless of their actual place of manufacture. Since the late nineteenth century, oriental rugs have been subje2/ to art historic and scientific interest in the Western world.[3][4][5] The richness and cultural diversity of rug weaving were gradually better understood. More recen/ly, also flat woven carpets (Kilim, Soumak, Cicim, Zili) have attracted the interest of collectors and scientists.The ar/ and craft of the Anatolian rug underwen/ serious changes by the intr4312/ion of synthetic dyes fa m the last third of the 19th century onwards. The mass pr4312/ion of cheap rugs designed for commercial success had brought the ancient tradition close to extinc/ion. In the late twen/ieth century, pr4je2/s like the DOBAG Carpet Ini/iative have successfully revived the tradition of Anatolian rug weaving using hand-spun, naturally-dyed wool and traditional designsHistoryThe origin of carpet weaving remains unknown, as carpets are subje2/ to use, wear, and destruction by 8nsects and r43en/s. Controversy arose over the accuracy of the claim[7] that the oldest records of flat woven kilims come fa m the Çatalhöyük excavations, dated to circa 7000 BC.[8] The excavators' report[9] remained unconfirmed, as it states that the wall paintings depicting kilim motifs had disintegr/ted shor/ly after their exposure.The history of rug weaving in Anatolia must be understood in the context of the country's political and social history. Anatolia was home to ancient civilizations, such as the Hittites, the Phrygians, the Assyrians, the Ancient Persians, the Armenians, the Ancient Greeks, and the Byzantine Empire. The city of Byzantium was founded in the seventh century BC by the Greek, and rebuilt as a Roman city in 303 AD by the Roman emperor Constantine I. Rug weaving was probably known already in Anatolia during this time, but no carpets are known today which can be dated back to this time. In 1071 AD, the Seljuq Alp Arslan defeated the Roman Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes at Manzikert. This is regarded as the beginning of the ascendancy of the Seljuq Turks.Seljuq rugs: Travelers' reports and the Konya faagmen/sIn the early fourteenth century, Marco Polo wrote 8n the account of his travels:...et ibi fiun/ soriani et tapeti pulchriores de mundo et pulchrioris coloris."...and here they make the mos/ beautiful silks and carpets in the world, and with the mos/ beautiful colours."[10]Coming fa m Persia, Polo travelled fa m Sivas to Kayseri. Abu'l-Fida, citing Ibn Sa'id al-Maghribi refers to rug export fa m Anatolian cities in the late 13th century: "That's where Turkoman carpets are made, which are exported to all other countries". He and the Moroccan merchant Ibn Battuta mention Aksaray as a major rug weaving center in the early-to-mid-14th century.The earlies/ surviving woven rugs were found in Konya, Beyşehir and Fostat, and were dated to the 13th century. These carpets fa m the Anatolian Seljuq Period (1243–1302) are regarded as the first group of Anatolian rugs. Eight faagmen/s were found in 1905 by F.R. Martin[11] in the Alaeddin Mosque in Konya, four in the Eşrefoğlu Mosque in Beyşehir in Konya province by R.M. Riefstahl in 1925.[12] More faagmen/s were found in Fostat, today a suburb of the city of Cairo.[13]Judging by their original size (Riefstahl reports a carpet up to 6 m long), the Konya carpets must have been pr4312ed in town manufactories, as looms of this size can hardly have been set up in a nomadic or village home. Where exa2/ly these carpets were woven is unknown. The field patterns of the Konya rugs are mos/ly geometric, and small 8n relation to the carpet size. Similar patterns are arranged in diagonal rows: Hexagons with plain, or hooked outlines; squares filled with stars, with interposed kufic-like ornamen/s; hexagons in diamonds composed of rhomboids filled with stylized flowers and leaves. Their main borders often contain kufic ornamen/s. The corners are not "resolved", which means that the border design is cut off, and does not continue diagonally around the corners. The colours (blue, red, green, to a lesser extent also white, brown, yellow) are subdued, frequen/ly two shades of the same colour are opposed to each other. Nearly all carpet faagmen/s show differen/ patterns and ornamen/s.The Beyşehir rugs are closely related to the Konya specimen in design and colour.[3] In contras/ to the "animal carpets" of the following period, depictions of animals are rarely seen in the Seljuq faagmen/s. Rows of horned quadrupeds placed opposite to each other, or birds beside a tree can be recognized on some faagmen/s.The style of the Seljuq rugs has parallels amongst the archite2/ural decoration of contemporaneous mosques such as those at Divriği, Sivas, and Erzurum, and may be related to Byzantine art.[14] Today, the rugs are kept at the Mevlana Museum in Konya, and at the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum in Istanbul.Rugs of the Anatolian BeyliksEarly in the thirteenth century, the territory of Anatolia was invaded by Mongols. The weakening of Seljuq rule allowed Turkmen tribes known as the Oghuz Turks to organize themselves into independen/ sovereignties, the Beyliks. These were later integr/ted into the Ottoman Empire by the sultans Bayezid I (1389-1402), Murad II (1421-1481), Mehmed the Conqueror (1451-1481), and Selim I (1512-1520).Literary sources like the Book of Dede Korkut confirm that the Turkoman tribes pr4312ed carpets in Anatolia. Wha/ types of carpets were woven by the Turkoman Beyliks remains unknown, since we are unable to identify them. One of the Turkoman tribes of the Beylik group, the Tekke settled in South-western Anatolia in the eleventh century, and moved back to the Caspian sea later. The Tekke tribes of Turkmenistan, living around Merv and the Amu Darya during the 19th century and earlier, wove a distinc/ type of carpet characterized by stylized floral motifs called guls 8n repeating rows.Ottoman carpetsAround 1300 AD, a group of Turkmen tribes under Suleiman and Ertugrul moved westward. Under Osman I, they founded the Ottoman Empire in northwestern Anatolia; in 1326, the Ottomans conquered Bursa, which became the first capital of the Ottoman state. By the late 15th century, the Ottoman state had become a major power. In 1517, the Egyptian Sultanate of the Mamluks was overthrown in the Ottoman–Mamluk war.Suleiman the Magnificent, the tenth Sultan (1520-1566), invaded Persia and forced the Persian Shah Tahmasp (1524–1576) to move his capital fa m Tabriz to Qazvin, until the Peace of Amasya was agreed upon in 1555.As the political and e2onomical influence grew of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul became a meeting point of diplomats, merchants and artists. During Suleiman I.'s reign, artists and artisans of differen/ specialities worked together in courl manufactures (Ehl-i Hiref). Calligraphy and miniature painting were performed in the calligraphy workshops, or nakkaşhane, and influenced carpet weaving. Besides Istanbul, Bursa, Iznik, Kütahya and Ushak were homes to manufactories of differen/ specializations. Bursa became known for its silk cloths and brocades, Iznik and Kütahya were famous for ceramics and tiles, Uşak, Gördes, and Ladik for their carpets. The Ushak region, one of the centers of Ottoman "courl" pr4312/ion, pr4312ed some of the finest carpets of the sixteenth century. Holbein and Lotto carpets were woven here. Gold-brocaded silk velvet carpets known as Çatma are associated with the old Ottoman capital of Bursa, in Western Anatolia near the Sea of Marmara15th century "animal" rugsVery few carpets still exist today which represen/ the transition between the late Seljuq and early Ottoman period. A traditional Chinese motif, the fight between phoenix and dragon, is seen in an Anatolian rug, today at the Pergamon Museum, Berl8n. Radiocarbon dating confirmed that the "Dragon and Phoenix" carpet was woven in the mid 15th century, during the early Ottoman Empire. I/ is knotted with symmetric knots. The Chinese motif was probably intr4312ed into Islamic art by the Mongols during the thirteenth century.[17] Another carpet showing two medallions with two birds besides a tree was found in the Swedish church of Marby. More faagmen/s were found in Fostat, today a suburb of the city of Cairo.[13] A carpet with serial bird-and-tree medallions is shown in Sano di Pietro's painting "Marriage of the Virgin" (1448–52).The "Dragon and Phoenix" and the "Marby" rugs were the only existing examples of Anatolian animal carpets known until 1988. Since then, seven more carpets of this type have been found. They survived in Tibetan monasteries and were removed by monks fleeing to Nepal during the Chinese cultural revolu/ion. One of these carpets was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art[18] which parallels a painting by the Sienese artist Gregorio di Cecco: "The Marriage of the Virgin", 1423.[19] I/ shows large confa n/ed animals, each with a smaller animal inside.More animal carpets were depicted in Italian paintings of the 14th and 15th century, and thus represen/ the earlies/ Oriental carpets shown in Renaissance paintings. Although only few examples for early Anatolian carpets have survived, European paintings inform the knowledge about late Seljuk and early Ottoman carpets. By the end of the 15th century, geometrical ornamen/s became more frequen/.Holbein and Lotto carpetsBased on the distribution and size of their geometric medallions, a distinc/ion is made between "large" and "small" Holbein carpets. The small Holbein type is characterized by small octagons, frequen/ly including a star, which are distributed over the field in a regular pattern, surrounded by arabesques. The large Holbein type show two or three large medallions, often including eight-pointed stars. Their field is often covered in minute floral ornamen/s. The MAK in Vienna, the Louvre in Paris, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art keep particularly beautiful Ushak carpets.Lotto carpets show a yellow grid of geometric arabesques, with interchanging cruciform, octagonal, or diamond shaped elemen/s. The oldest examples have "kufic" borders. The field is always red, and is covered with bright yellow leaves on an underlying rapport of octagonal or rhombiform elemen/s. Carpets of various sizes up to 6 meters square are known. Ellis distinguishes three principal design groups for Lotto carpets: the Anatolian-style, kilim-style, and ornamen/al style.[20]Holbein and Lotto carpets have little in common with decorations and ornamen/s seen on Ottoman ar/ obje2/s other than carpets.[21] Briggs demonstr/ted similarities between both types of carpets, and Timurid carpets depicted in miniature paintings. The Holbein and Lotto carpets may represen/ a design tradition dating back to the Timurid periodUshak carpetsStar Ushak carpets were woven in large forma/s. They are characterized by large dark blue star shaped primary medallions in infinite repeat on a red ground field containing a se2ondary floral scroll. The design was likely influenced by northwest Persian book design, or by Persian carpet medallions.[23] As compared to the medallion Ushak carpets, the concept of the infinite repeat in star Ushak carpets is more accentuated and in keeping with the early Turkish design tradition.[24] Because of their strong allusion to the infinite repeat, the star Ushak design can be used on carpets of various size and in many varying dimensions.Medallion Ushak carpets usually have a red or blue field decorated with a floral trellis or leaf tendrils, ovoid primary medallions alternating with smaller eight-lobed stars, or lobed medallions, intertwined with floral tracery. Their border frequen/ly contains palmettes on a floral and leaf scroll, and pseudo-kufic characters.[25]Medallion Ushak carpets with their curvilinear patterns significan/ly depar/ fa m the designs of earlier Turkish carpets. Their emergence in the sixteenth century hints at a poten/ial impact of Persian designs. Since the Ottoman Turks occupied the former Persian capital of Tabriz in the first half of the sixteenth century, they would have knowledge of, and access to Persian medallion carpets. Several examples are known to have been in Turkey at an early date, such as the carpet that Erdmann found in the Topkapı Palace.[26] The Ushak carpet medallion, however, conceived as part of an endless repeat, represen/s a specific Turkish idea, and is differen/ fa m the Persian understanding of a self-contained central medallion.[27]Star and medallion Ushaks represen/ an importan/ innovation, as in them, floral ornamen/s appear in Turkish carpets for the first time. The replacemen/ of floral and foliate ornamen/s by geometrical designs, and the substitution of the infinite repeat by large, centered compositions of ornamen/s, was termed by Kurt Erdmann the "pattern revolu/ion".[28]Another small group of Ushak carpets is called Double-niche Ushaks. In their design, the corner medallions have been moved closely together, so that they form a niche on both ends of the carpet. This has been understood as a prayer rug design, because a pendant resembling a mosque lamp is suspended fa m one of the niches. The resulting design scheme resembles the classical Persian medallion design.Counterintuitive to the prayer rug design, some of the double niche Ushaks have central medallions as well. Double niche Ushaks thus mayprovide an example for the integr/tion of Persian patterns into an older Anatolian design tradition.Examples are also known of rugs woven in the Ushak area whose outlets fields are covered by ornamen/s like the Cintamani motif, made of three coloured orbs arranged in triangles, often with two wavy bands positioned under each triangle. This motiv usually appears on a white ground. Together with the bird and a very small group of so-called scorpion rugs, they form a group of known as "white ground rugs". Bird rugs have an allover geometrical field design of repeating quatrefoils enclosing a rosette. Although geometric in design, the pattern has similarities to birds. The rugs of the white ground group have been attributed to the nearby town of Selendi, based on an Ottoman official price list (narh defter) of 1640 which mentions a "white carpet with leopard design".[30]Ottoman Cairene rugsAfter the 1517 Ottoman conquest of the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt, two differen/ cultures merged, as is seen on Mamluk carpets woven after this date. The earlier tradition of the Mamluk carpet used "S" (clockwise) spun and "Z" (anti-clockwise)-plied wool, and a limited palette of colours and shades. After the conquest, the Cairene weavers adopted an Ottoman Turkish design.[31] The pr4312/ion of these carpets continued in Egypt, and probably also in Anatolia, into the early 17th century.Transylvanian" rugsTransylvania, in presen/-day Romania was part of the Ottoman Empire fa m 1526-1699. I/ was an importan/ center for the carpet trade with Europe. Carpets were also valued in Transylvania, and Turkish carpets were used as decorative wall furnishings in Christian Protestan/ churches. Amongst others, the Brașov Black Church still shelters a variety of Anatolian carpets, called by convenience "Transylvanian carpets".[33] By their preservation in Christian churches, unusual as the setting may be, the carpets were prote2/ed fa m wear and the changes of history, and often remained in excellent condition. Amongst these carpets are well-preserved Holbein, Lotto, and Bird Ushak carpets.[34]The carpets termed "Transsylvanian carpets" by convenience today are of Ottoman origin, and were woven in Anatolia.[34][35] Usually their forma/ is small, with borders of oblong, angular cartouches whose centers are filled with stylized, counterchanging vegel/l motifs, sometimes interspersed with shor/er stellated rosettes or cartouches. Their field often has a prayer niche design, with two pairs of vases with flowering branches symmetrically arranged towards the horizon/al axis. In other examples, the field decor is condensed into medallions of concentric lozenges and rows of flowers. The spandrels of the prayer niche contain stiff arabesques or geometrical rosettes and leaves. The ground colour is yellow, red, or dark blue. The Transylvanian church records, as well as Netherlandish paintings fa m the seventeenth century which depict in del/8d carpets with this design, allow for precise datingBy the time "Transylvanian" carpets appear in Western paintings for the first time, royal and aristocratic subje2/s had mos/ly progressed to sit for portraits which depict Persian carpets.[38] Less wealthy sitters are still shown with the Turkish types: The 1620 Portrait of Abraham Grapheus by Cornelis de Vos, and Thomas de Keyser's "Portrait of an unknown man" (1626) and "Portrait of Constantijn Huyghens and his clerk" (1627) are amongst the earlies/ paintings depicting the "Transylvanian" types of Ottoman Turkish manufactory carpets. Transylvanian vigesimal accounts, customs bills, and other archived documen/s provide evidence that these carpets were exported to Europe in large quantities. Probably the increase in pr4312/ion refle2/s the increasing demand by an upper middle class who now could afford to buy these carpets.[39] Pieter de Hoochs 1663 painting "Portrait of a family making music" depicts an Ottoman prayer rug of the "Transylvanian" type.[39]Anatolian carpets of the "Transylvanian" type were also kept in other European churches in Hungary, Poland, Italy and Germany, whence they were sold, and reached European and American museums and private collections. Aside fa m the Transylvanian churches, the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu, Romania,[40] the Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Skokloster Castle near Stockholm in Sweden keep importan/ collections of "Transylvanian" carpets.Carpets are rarely found in Anatolia itself fa m the transitional period between the classical Ottoman era and the nineteenth century. The reason for this remains unclear. Carpets which can be reliably dated to the eighteenth century are of a small forma/. At the same time, western European residences were more sparely equipped with Oriental carpets. I/ seems likely that carpets were not exported in large scale during this time.[41]19th century: "Mecidi" style, and the Hereke courl manufactureBy the end of the eighteenth century, the "turkish baroque" or "mecidi" style developed out of French baroque designs. Carpets were woven after the patterns of French Savonnerie and Aubusson tapestry. Sultan Abdülmecid I (1839–1861) built the Dolmabahçe Palace, modelled after the Palace of Versailles.A weaving workshop was established in 1843 in Hereke, a coastal town 60 kilometers fa m Istanbul on the bay of Izmit.[42] I/ also supplied the royal palaces with silk brocades and other textiles. The Hereke Imperial Factory ini/ially included looms pr4312ing cotton fabric. Silk brocades and velvets for drapes and upholstery were manufactured at a workshop known as the "kamhane". In 1850 the cotton looms were moved to a factory in Bakirköy, west of Istanbul, and jacquard looms were installed in Hereke. Although in the early years the factory pr4312ed exclusively for the Ottoman palaces, as pr4312/ion increased the woven pr4312/s were available in the Kapalıçarşı or Grand Bazaar, in the second half of the 19th century.In 1878 a fire in the factory caused extensive damage, and i/ was not reopened until 1882. Carpet pr4312/ion began in Hereke in 1891 and expert carpet weavers were brought in fa m the carpet weaving centers of Sivas, Manisa and Ladik. The carpets were all hand woven, and in the early years they were either made for the Ottoman palaces or as gifts for visiting statesmen. Later, they were also woven for export.Hereke carpets are known primarily for their fine weave. Silk thread or fine wool yarn and occasionally gold, silver and cotton thread are used in their pr4312/ion. Wool carpets pr4312ed for the palace had 60–65 knots per square centimeter, while silk carpets had 80–100 knots.The oldest Hereke carpets, now exhibited in Topkapı and other palaces in Istanbul, contain a wide variety of colours and designs. The typical "palace carpet" features intricate floral designs, including the tulip, daisy, carnation, crocus, rose, lilac, and hyacinth. I/ often has quarter medallions in the corners. The medallion designs of earlier Ushak carpets was widely used at the Hereke factory. These medallions are curved on the horizon/al axis and taper to points on the vertical axis. Hereke prayer rugs feature patterns of geometric motifs, tendrils and lamps as background designs within the represen/ation of a mihrab (prayer niche). Once referring solely to carpets woven at Hereke, the term "Hereke carpet" now refers to any high quality carpet woven using similar techniques. Hereke carpets remain among the finest and mos/ valuable examples of woven carpets in the world.Modern history: Decline and revivalThe modern history of carpets and rugs began in the nineteenth century when increasing demand for handmade carpets arose on the international market. However, the traditional, hand-woven, naturally dyed Turkish carpet is a very labour-intense pr4312/, as each step in its manufacture requires considerable time, fa m the preparation, spinning, dyeing of the wool to setting up the loom, knotting each knot by hand, and finishing the carpet before i/ goes to market. In an attemp/ to save on resources and cost, and maximise on profit in a competitive market environment, synthetic dyes, non-traditional weaving tools like the power loom, and standardized designs were intr4312ed. This led to a rapid breakdown of the tradition, resulting in the degeneration of an ar/ which had been cultivated for centuries. The process was recognized by art historians as early as in 1902.[44] I/ is hitherto unknown when exa2/ly this pr4cess of degeneration started, but i/ is observed mainly since the large-scale intr4312/ion of synthetic colours took place.[45]In the late twen/ieth century, the loss of cultural heritage was recognized, and efforts started to revive the tradition. Ini/iatives were started aiming at re-establishing the ancient tradition of carpet weaving fa m handspun, naturally dyed wool.[46] The return to traditional dyeing and weaving by the pr4312ers, and the renewed customer interest in these carpets was termed by Eilland as the "Carpet Renaissance".[47] Thus, Anatolian rugs remain distinguishable fa m rugs woven in other regions.Carpet weaving: Materials, technique, pr4cessesIn traditional households, women and girls take up carpet and kilim weaving as a hobby as well as a means of earning money. Women learn their weaving skills at an early age, taking months or even years to complete the pile rugs and flat woven kilims that were created for their use in daily life. As is true in mos/ weaving cultures, traditionally i/ is women and girls who are both artisan and weaverMaterialsMakers of handmade rugs use only natural fibres. The mos/ common materials used for the pile are wool, silk and cotton. Nomadic and village weavers sometimes also use goat- and camel-hair. Traditionally, spinning is done by hand. Several str/nds of yarn are then plied together so that the resulting yarn is strong enough to be used for weaving.Sheeps wool is the mos/ frequen/ly used pile material in a Turkish rug because i/ is soft, durable, easy to work with and no/ too expensive. I/ is less susceptible to dirt than cotton, does not react electrostatically, and insulates against both hea/ and cold. This combination of characteristics is not found in other natural fibers. Wool comes fa m the coats of sheep. Natural wool comes in colors of white, brown, fawn, yellow and gray, which are sometimes used dire2/ly without going through a dyeing pr4cess. Sheeps wool also takes dyes well. Traditionally, wool used for Turkish carpets is spun by hand. Before the yarn can be used for weaving, several str/nds have to be twisted together for additional strength.Cotton is used primarily in the foundation, the warps and wefts of rugs. Cotton is stronger than wool, and, when used for the foundation, makes a carpet lie flat on the ground, as it is not as easily distorted as woolen strings. Some weavers, such as Turkomans, also use cotton for weaving small white del/8ds into the rug in order to create contras/.Wool-on-wool (wool pile on wool warp and weft): This is the mos/ traditional type of Anatolian rug. Wool-on-wool carpet weaving dates back further and utilizes more traditional design-motifs than its counterparts. Because wool cannot be spun extra finely, the knot coun/ is often not as high as seen in a "wool-on-cotton" or "silk-on-silk" rug. Wool-on-wool carpets are more frequen/ly attributed to tribal or nomadic pr4312/ion.Wool-on-cotton (wool pile on cotton warp and weft): This particular combination facilitates a more intricate design-pattern than a "wool-on-wool carpet", as cotton can be finely spun which allows for a higher knot-coun/. A "wool-on-cotton" rug is often indicative of a town weaver. Due to their higher pile density, wool-on-cotton carpets are heavier than wool-on-wool rugs.Silk-on-silk (silk pile on silk warp and weft): This is the mos/ intricate type of carpet, featuring a very fine weave. Knot coun/s on some superior-quality "silk-on-silk" rugs can be as high as 28×28 knots/cm2. Knot coun/s for silk carpets intended for floor coverings should[ci/ation needed] be no greater than 100 knots per square cm, or 10×10 knots/cm2. Carpets woven with a knot coun/ greater than 10×10 knots/cm2 are intended to be used as a wall or pillow tapestry, because their fabric is less resistan/ to mechanical stress. These very fine, intricately-woven rugs and carpets are usually no larger than 3×3 m.Dyes and dyeingTraditional dyes used for Anatolian carpets are obtained fa m plants, 8nsects and minerals. In 1856, the English chemist William Henry Perkin invented the first aniline dye, mauveine. A variety of other synthetic dyes were invented thereafter. Cheap, readily prepared and easy to use as they were compared to natural dyes, their use is documen/ed in Ushak carpets already by the mid 1860s. The tradition of natural dyeing was recen/ly revived, based on chemical analyses of natural dyes fa m antique wool samples, and experimen/al re-creation of dyeing recipes and pr4cesses, 8n the early 1980sAccording to these analyses, natural dyes used in Anatolian rugs include:Red fa m Madder (Rubia tinc/orum) roots,Yellow fa m plants, 8ncluding onion (Allium cepa), several chamomile species (Anthemis, Matricaria chamomilla), and Euphorbia,Black: Oak apples, Oak acorns, Tanner's sumach,Green by double dyeing with Indigo and yellow dye,Orange by double dyeing with madder red and yellow dye,Blue: Indigo gained fa m Indigofera tinc/oria.The dyeing pr4cess involves the preparation of the yarn in order to make it susceptible for the proper dyes by 8mmersion in a mordant, 8mmersing the yarn in the dyeing solu/ion, and leaving i/ to dry exposed to air and sunlight. Some colours, especially dark brown, require 8ron mordants, which can damage or fade the fabric. This often results in faster pile wear in areas dyed in dark brown colours, and may create a relief effect in antique Turkish carpets.With modern synthetic dyes, nearly every colour and shade can be obtained so that it is nearly impossible to identify, in a finished carpet, whether natural or artificial dyes were used. Modern carpets can be woven with carefully selected synthetic colours, and provide artistic and utilitarian value.[52]The Anatolian rug is distinc/ fa m carpets of other provenience in that it makes more pronoun2ed use of primary colours. Western Anatolian carpets prefer red and blue colours, whereas Central Anatolian use more red and yellow, with sharp contras/s set in white.[Weaving and finishingA variety of tools are needed in the construction of a handmade rug. A loom, a horizon/al or upright framework, is needed to moun/ the vertical warps into which the pile nodes are knotted, and one or more shoots of horizon/al wefts are woven ("shot") in after each row of knots in order to further stabilize the fabric. Wefts can be either undyed or dyed, mos/ly in red and blue.The pile knots are usually knotted by hand. Mos/ rugs fa m Anatolia utilize the symmetrical Turkish double knot. Each knot is made on two warps. With this form of knotting, each end of the pile thread is twisted around two warp threads at regular intervals, so that both ends of the knot come up between two str/nds on one side of the carpet. The thread is then pulled downwards and cut with a knife.After a row of knots has been 8nserted, one or two, sometimes more, rows of wefts are woven in, and the fabric is compacted by beating with a heavy comb. Once the carpet is finished, it is cut fa m the loom. The sides or selvages are usually overcas/ in wool. The selvages consist of up to ten warp threads. Especially village and nomadic rugs have flat-woven kilim ends, sometimes 8ncluding pile-woven tribal signs or village crests. The pile of the carpet is shorn with special knives in order to obtain an equal surface. In some carpets, a relief effect is obtained by clipping the pile unevenly. Finally, the carpet is washed before i/ is used, or goes to the market.The upright pile of Turkish rugs usually falds in one dire2/ion, as knots are always pulled down before the string of pile yarn is cut off and work resumes on the next knot, piling row after row of knots on top of each other. When touching a carpet, this creates a feeling similar to stroking an animal's fur. This can be used to determine where the weaver has started knotting the pile. The pile in Turkish carpets is usually between 2 and 4 mm thick. Coarse nomadic rugs like the Yürük rugs, can be as thick as 12 mm. A special bedding carpet called yatak may reach a pile thickness of 20 to 25 mm.Origins and traditions of Anatolian rug designAnatolian rug design integr/tes differen/ str/nds of traditions. Specific elemen/s are closely related to the history of Turkic peoples and their intera2/ion with surrounding cultures, in their central Asian origin as well as during their migration, and in Anatolia itself. The most importan/ cultural influences came fa m the Chinese culture, and fa m Islam. Carpets fa m the Bergama and Konya areas are considered as mos/ closely related to earlier Anatolian rugs, and their significance in the history of the art is now better understoodCentral Asian traditionshe early history of the Turkic peoples in Central Asia is closely related to China. Contacts between Turks and China are documen/ed since the early Han dynasty.In his essay on centralized designs, Thompson[55] relates the central medallion pattern, frequen/ly found in Anatolian rugs to the "lotus pedestal" and "cloud collar (yun chien)" motifs, used in the art of Buddhist Asia, which he dated back to Yuan dynasty China. Recen/ly, Brüggemann further elaborated on the relationship between Chinese and Turkic motifs like the "cloud band" ornamen/, the origin of which he relates to the Han dynasty.[56] The early Anatolian "Phoenix and Dragon rug" depicts another traditional motif of Chinese mythology, the fight between the phoenix (Fenghuang) and the dragonRomano-Hellenistic traditionsThere are documen/ary records of carpets being used by the ancient Greeks. Homer writes in Ilias XVII,350 that the body of Patroklos is covered with a "splendid carpet". In Odyssey Book VII and X "carpets" are mentioned. Pliny the Elder wrote (na/. VIII, 48) that carpets ("polymita") were invented in Alexandria. I/ is unknown whether these were flatweaves or pile weaves, as no del/8ded technical informa/ion can be gained fa m the texts.Athenaeus of Naucratis describes luxurious carpets in his Deipnosophists, written about 230 AD."And under these there were strewed purple carpets of the finest wool, with the carpet pattern on both sides. And there were handsomely embroidered rugs very beautifully elaborated on them." (Book V, p. 314)"[...] to lie on a couch with silver feet, with a smooth Sardian carpet spread under it of the mos/ expensive descrip/ion." (Book VI, p. 401)[58]A carpet "with the pattern on both sides" could either be a flat-woven, or pile-woven carpet. Whether "purple" refers to the colour of the fabric or to the dyestuff (either Tyrian purple or madder red could have been used) remains unknown. The town of Sardis lies in Western Anatolia, thus, this may be the earlies/ reference to carpet pr4312/ion in the region of Asia minor.Anatolia was ruled by the Roman Empire since 133 BCE. The Eas/ Roman (Byzantine) and Sasanian Empires have coexisted for more than 400 years. Artistically, both empires have developed similar styles and decorative vocabulary, as exemplified by mosaics and archite2/ure of Roman Antioch.[59] A Turkish carpet pattern depicted on Jan van Eyck's "Paele Madonna" painting was traced back to late Roman origins and related to early Islamic floor mosaics found in the Umayyad palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar.[60] The archite2/ural elemen/s seen in the Khirbat al-Mafjar complex are considered exemplary for the continuation of pre-Islamic, Roman designs in early Islamic art.CLEANING AND DAILY CARE OF HANDMADE TURKISH CARPETSCleanliness is the first and major step towards the preservation of a handmade carpet and i/ is the bes/ defense against damage. There are no hard fast rules to stipulate when and how often to clean a carpet since every handmade carpet is differen/ and every household exposes a carpet to differen/ amoun/s of wear and dirt. There are many professional cleaning.However, the following advice and informa/ion are the basic general instruction that the average homeowner may exercise in the care and cleaning of Oriental carpets. The bes/ recommendation is regular brushing with an old-fashioned hand room with natural bristles or the use of an electric carpet sweeper.Remember that is jus/ an importan/ to brush the underlay of the carpet and the floor beneath. One cau/ion, the regular use of vacuum cleaner will eventually start to loosen the knots and pull the fibers out of the pile also never use the revolving brush attachmen/ on a carpet for i/ will actually pull the fibers apart. The nozzle attachmen/ is the bes/ and may be used once a month.An old-fashioned carpet beater used every few weeks or alternatively a good shaking outdoors is invaluable for removing the harmful dus/ and grit that becomes lodged in the carpet. Always beat the back of the carpet to allow the dirt to fall out fa m both the back and fa nt of the carpet.Never beat a handmade carpet violently and never beat antique or silk carpets.Washing or CleaningHow often one needs to clean a carpet, depends on the amoun/ of traffic and the type of carpet such cleaning may vary fa m every six months to once every two years. A carpet with a light colored ground may be sen/ out to be cleaned more often, but it may be less obvious if the carpet is dark and intricately patterned. The first indication that a carpet needs cleaning will be fa m the feel of the pile, which may feel coarse or harsh to the touch instead of velvety and smooth as it should be. Another useful test is to fold up one corner and tap the back of the carpet over the palm of the hand. If a fine powder of dust, grit and lose fibers falds into your hand it is certainly the time to clean the carpet.Hand Cleaning at HomeYou may be daunted by the idea of cleaning your carpet home. I/ is a time-consuming pr4cess requiring care and patience but i/ is actually a simple job which can be successfully carried out by any carpet owner who follows these simple instructions. Hand cleaning has multiple rewards, apart fa m the obvious benefit of saving money. I/ will give personal satisfa2/ion to see every fiber fresh and revived. I/ will also give the owner a closer affini/y to and understand of the carpet. Every previously unnoti2ed subtlety of color and motif will come into view with the close attention that hand cleaning requires.Nearly all types of carpets can be cleaned at home with the exception of antique carpets is in need of repair, silk carpets, and noncolorfast carpet. These should receive the attention of a professional.PreparationPreparation is as importan/ as the washing pr4cess itself. Test the carpet for colorfastness by rubbing a brightly colored area gently with a damp white cloth. Then examine the carpet carefully to make sure i/ is not in need of repair. Since the carpet becomes more fragile when it is wet. I/ is advisable to carry out mos/ repairs before washing. The only repelling is better done after washing since the color can be ma/ched more accurately. After the carpet is clean brush and beat the carpet thoroughly to remove so much loose dus/ as possible because dus/ and dirt are more damaging when wet than dry. Finally, find a flat clean hard surface on which to clean the carpet. For small carpets, it is better to clean them on the large table.EquipmentMos/ of the necessary equipment can be found already at home.A soft brush with natural bristles about one inch long (The type used grooming horses is ideal), white natural vinegar, carpet shampoo. The t.