(#302) approx. 218x140cm Hand-knotted oriental carpet unique Anatolian Hereke pattern Turkey

Hereke & Anatolian Oriental Carpets

The term "Anatolian carpet" is now commonly used for carpets woven in Anatolia and the adjacent regions. Geographically, its production area can be compared to the areas historically dominated by the Ottoman Empire. It denotes a knotted, plaited floor or wall covering made for domestic use, local sale and export. Along with the flat-woven kilim, Anatolian rugs are an integral part of the regional culture, now officially referred to as the culture of Turkey, which derives from the ethnic, religious and cultural pluralism of one of the oldest centers of human civilization.

Carpet weaving is a traditional craft that dates back to prehistoric times. Carpets were woven much earlier than even the oldest surviving carpets, such as the Pazyryk carpet, would suggest. Throughout its long history, the art and craft of carpet weaving has absorbed and integrated diverse cultural traditions. Traces of Byzantine design can be found in Anatolian carpets; Turkic peoples who immigrated from Central Asia, as well as Armenian, Caucasian and Kurdish tribes who lived in or had immigrated to Anatolia at different times, brought their traditional motifs and ornaments. The arrival of Islam and the development of Islamic art have profoundly influenced the design of Anatolian carpets. Its ornaments and patterns thus reflect the region's political history and social diversity. However, academic research has so far been unable to assign a specific design feature to a specific ethnic or regional tradition, or even to distinguish between nomadic and village design patterns.

Within the group of oriental carpets, the Anatolian carpet is characterized by special characteristics of its coloring and colors, motifs, textures and techniques. The examples range from small cushions (yastik) to large, room-filling carpets. The earliest surviving examples of Anatolian carpets known today date from the thirteenth century. Since then, various types of carpets have been knotted in court manufactories and workshops in the provinces, in the houses of the villages, in the settlements of the tribes or in the tents of the nomads. Carpets were made simultaneously in all walks of life, mainly using sheep's wool, cotton and natural dyes. Anatolian rugs are mostly knotted with symmetrical knots, which were so widespread in the region that Western carpet dealers adopted the term “Turkish” or “Ghiordes” knot for the technique in the early 20th century. From the 1870s onwards, Ottoman court manufactures also produced rugs with a silk pile, sometimes with gold or silver threads woven into it, but the traditional material of most Anatolian rugs was hand-spun, naturally dyed wool.

In Europe, Anatolian rugs were frequently depicted in Renaissance paintings, often in a context of dignity, prestige and luxury. After the 13th century AD, political contacts and trade between western Europe and the Islamic world intensified. When direct trade with the Ottoman Empire began in the 14th century, all types of carpets were initially indiscriminately referred to as “Turkish” carpets, regardless of where they were actually made. Oriental carpets have been the subject of art historical and scientific interest in the western world since the late 19th century. The richness and cultural diversity of carpet weaving gradually became better understood. More recently, flat-woven carpets (kilim, soumak, cicim, zili) have also attracted the interest of collectors and scholars.

The art and craft of the Anatolian carpet underwent a major change from the last third of the 19th century through the introduction of synthetic dyes. The mass production of cheap carpets aimed at commercial success brought the old tradition to the brink of extinction. At the beginning of the XNUMXth century, projects such as the DOBAG Carpet Initiative successfully revived the tradition of Anatolian carpet weaving using hand-spun, naturally dyed wool and traditional patterns.

"Errors and errors excepted"