Turkish Carpet Motifs

Whether an eigth square meter kilim for the long winter or a shopping bag to carry to market.

Turkish carpet motifs.

Some motifs represent desires such as for happiness and children. Many motifs are used in traditional kilims handmade flat woven rugs each with many variations. Others for protection against threats such as wolves and scorpions or against the evil eye. These are kurdish symbols and motifs in carpets not turkish.

These motifs were often combined when woven into patterns on kilims. It is not unusual to find more than one motif in a single rug. In turkish anatolia in particular village women wove themes significant for their lives into their rugs whether before marriage or during married life. 12 february 2017 at 12 33 am.

Small motifs in repeating columns such as the herati or boteh create the pattern. These motifs include the human eye the cross hook scorpion and burdock etc. A large number of turkish rug motifs contain motifs woven as protection against the evil eye and the harm it can do to the weaver her family and her tribe. There may be embedded in the carpet or kilim a motif the evil eye repeated throughout the carpet or kilim.

The kilim is always an expression of the artistic skils of the weaver and a public message to the outer world of the family s own history. The most common turkish rug motifs symbolizing protection are noted below. It is less susceptible to dirt than cotton does not react electrostatically and insulates against both heat and cold. Some of the more common motifs are.

With the fading of. Sheep s wool is the most frequently used pile material in a turkish rug because it is soft durable easy to work with and not too expensive.