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
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
 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

On deck 2,just before you go to vista dining room on t

NIHAT BAYLAV
ISTANBUL


TURKEY