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The Turkish
tribes invented hard-wearing and
double-knotted carpets. The techniques
used in handmade carpets were brought to
the Mediterranean coast by the Seljuks
in the 12th century. The demand for
carpets in different periods dictated
the pace of the development of carpet
weaving, but high quality handmade
carpets have always found a ready
market.
The oldest carpet known was discovered,
frozen in ice, by Russian archaeologists
in 1984, and it is called the
''Pazirik'' carpet. This carpet, which
measures 1.80 rn by 2 rn., is dated
somewhere around 4th centuries B.C.and
is on exhibit in the Hermitage in
St.Petersburg (Leningrad). The
''Pazirik'' carpet is tightly knotted
and therefore indicates that the art of
carpet weaving had emerged long before
its production.
The motifs and colours of Turkish
carpets and kilims constituted an
important medium of expression for the
weaver and his community. The values of
the period to which it belonged may be
reflected in the twist and quality of
the wool, the manner in which the dye
was manufactured and from what plants or
insects it was produced, the fineness or
looseness of the stitch and, most
importantly, the symbolic significance
of the motifs and the aesthetic
dimensions of the stylization.
Apart from the dyeing and weaving, which
form the technical basis of the knotted
carpet, the most important feature from
the point of view of the cultural
heritage involved is the nature of the
motifs employed. The Turkish craftsman
possessed the ability to imbue his
hand-woven fabrics with his own
identity, his social position and
communal traditions. The marks stamped
on the tents and horse-covers in the
high-lands and summer pastures which are
also to be found incorporated in their
fabrics, have survived in their fabrics,
have survived in the form of aesthetic
variations the first inventors could
never have foreseen. That is what
distinguishes the Turkish carpet so very
clearly from all other carpets in the
world.
All Turkish carpets, from those of
Eastern Turkestan to those produced in
Baluchistan, Khorasan, the Caucasus and
Anatolia, are characterized by the
distinctive designs that raise
traditional handicrafts to the highest
artistic level. |
