r Promenade Deck 2 starboard side , just before you enter the Vista Dini

NIHAT BAYLAV
ISTANBUL


TURKEY
 3RD FACTOR

UNDERSTANDING KNOTS
 Two kinds of “knot” are used to make most
pile-woven oriental rugs.

 “Persian” and “Turkish” knots.

 Turkish knots (Ghiordes) are always tied

around two warp strings.
 The Persian knot is asymmetric
and may be open to either the
right or left.

Turkish knots or
‘Ghiordes’ are
symmetrical. .
 This is one Turkish knot, even
though the wool wraps around
two warps .

it’s impossible to distinguish separate

knots from the face of the rug

If the warps of the rug lie on the same plane,

each knot will appear on the back of the rug as
two tiny squares of the same color next to each
other
KILIM

KILIM

KILIM
1ST FACTOR

SHEEP WOOL
The quality of wool varies
according to:

 the breed of sheep

 the climate
 the shearing season
 Good quality wool is produced by healthy
and well fed sheep that usually live in
cold regions or at high elevations.

 In order to keep warm, these sheep grow a

full fleece and their bodies store more fat
which increases the lanolin content in the
wool.This makes it feel silky smooth, yet
springy.
 Wool from sheep living in warm and arid
regions is dry and brittle.
Wool produced by sheep living at
higher elevations and
sheared during the Spring is
considered to be the best quality.
Wool is hand-spun using
primitive utensils called
Kirmen, a type of drop
spindle, and traditional
spinning wheels.
 Wool can also be industrially
spun but the harsh twisting of
the spinning machines can
often break some of the
fibers.

THEREFORE…
Hand-spun wool is always more
valuable…
 GOAT HAIR

Goat hair is occasionally found in oriental rugs

in the side bindings or sleeve.
but is more frequently used in the manufacture
of saddle bags and cushions.
 Ingredients of Color
2.FACTOR
So we dry the wool…
Tobac c o
C umin seeds
W al n ut H usk s
Onion Skin
P r une
Madder
R oc k Sal t
OTTOMAN COURT RUGS
DOLMABAHCE MUSEUM
Oushak (Uşak) 15th Century
 LORENZO LOTTO

LORENZO LOTTO
 COTTON
 In rug and kilim weaving, cotton is
most often used for both the warp
and weft threads.

 So what are warps and wefts?

 Cotton is generally considered to be
a more resilient fiber with less
elasticity.
HEREKE

 This means that tighter

knots can be tied on warps
made of cotton.

 If a very tight knot is tied

to a wool warp, the fiber is
much more likely to break.
 HEREKE 1843

THIS WAS THE FIRST REGION TO MAKE TURKISH CARPETS FOR THE SULTANS
THE LOOMS IN HEREKE
Here is a close up picture of a Turkish knot.

If you were
counting the knots
in a carpet, you
would count these
two cream bumps
as one knot.
Knot density (knots per square inch) is an
important indicator of rug quality.
Let’s look at the difference
 In particular, the back of the machine-
made rug is very different in appearance
to the back of the handmade rug.

 Also, the design is not nearly as colorful

on the back of the machine-made rug as it
is on the front.
See the Difference!
 Symbols and Patterns

Head band: Symbol of desire of matrimony

Akimbo: Symbol of motherhood.

Also symbolises sometimes the lady who
has woven the carpet
 The lady who has wowen the rug

Birds in flight: Symbol of good news

Lovebird: Symbol of love

 Ear of grain: Symbol of birth and fertility
Cypress: Symbol of eternity and tree of life

Cypress: Symbol of eternity and tree of life

 Wheel of fortune: Symbol of fate

Chest: Symbol of a maiden’s trousseau

Grain: Symbol of abundance

Eye: A motif used to keep evil away
 Woven
Paintings
 AND SO TO SILK
• Real silk is produced in the cocoon
of the silkworm..
 Real Silk
Real silk is produced as the cocoon covering of the silkworm, the pupal
form of the Asian or mulberry silk moth.
The cocoon is spun by the silk moth caterpillar of a single silk fiber that can
be up to several thousand feet in length.
Hereke Fine Silk

 Approx. 650 Knots per

square inch.
 Size: 2’ x 4’
 Weaving time: 11
months
Hereke Fine Silk

 Approx. 1250 Knots per

square inch.
  Rayon is mercerized cotton.

But how do you tell the difference?

  Be very careful when it comes to buying
silk rugs
 sometimes ‘silk’ rugs are made of
something other than natural silk are
sold as half silk/ half cotton.

• mercerized cotton also look like silk.

So how do you identify A real silk oriental rug?

 With all these artificial fibers around, how
can you identify a rug woven with natural silk?

Burn it! This test actually can be helpful.

Clip a small piece out of the fringe

or pull a knot out of the rug from

the back. Burn it. Look at the ash and smell
the smoke. If the material was cellulose
(rayon), the ash should be soft and chalky,
and the smell should be like burning paper.
 BUT ..If the sample is real silk, the
burning sample should ball to a black
crispy ash, and the smell should be of
burning hair...!!
 Taking care of your carpet
 It’s easy to clean small rugs yourself.

 It’s best done in a garage/utility room or

outside on a clean driveway or paved area.
This is what you do:

• Vacuum both sides well.

• Shampoo the rug with cool water and mild

liquid soap or rug shampoo (don’t use strong
detergents).
3. Wash fringes with the same soap solution. Use a
laundry brush and brush repeatedly away from the
pile.

4. Rinse thoroughly with running water.

5. Squeeze out excess water. Squeegee the pile

repeatedly in the direction of the nap, until no more
water can be forced out.

6.Lay flat to dry. When the nap feels dry, turn the rug
over; the back will probably still be damp.

MAKE SURE YOUR CARPET IS COMPLETELY DRY

7.If the pile feels a little stiff when dry, brush gently or
lightly vacuum.
On deck 2,just before you go to vista dining room on t

NIHAT BAYLAV
ISTANBUL


TURKEY