KONYA Vintage Tülü Kelim 190x122cm

Region of origin

Anatolia makes up the majority of modern Turkey. Carpets from this region are characterized by their indigenous geometric patterns - with many symbols that reflect the life of a traditional way of life in harmony with nature. The heritage of an ancient, schematic culture of the Turkic peoples, transmitted from generation to generation in the form of weaving art.

Symbolism

In Anatolia, a variety of symbols and patterns were used in traditional kilims and carpets that have their origins in the Neolithic period. For thousands of years, nomadic and village women have woven themes into their carpets that are significant to their lives. One of the main symbols is the figure of "Elibelinde", which stands for the Cosmic Mother and her creative female power. Other motifs represent wishes, such as for happiness and children, while others serve to protect against threats such as wolves, scorpions or the evil eye. Motifs were often combined when they were woven into patterns on kilims, giving them multi-layered meanings. In this way, each rug tells its own story in the form of woven poetry.

Production

Our vintage kilim and rugs were made entirely by hand from the early 20th century until the 1970s. In the first step, the weaver sheared the wool from her own sheep and goats, washed, combed and spun into yarn by hand.

The yarn bundles were then dyed in an elaborate, manual process using pigments from nature or alanine dyes. Each individual shade had to be dyed separately. By dyeing independently, the weaver was able to give free rein to her creativity and had control over the coloring. At the same time, the result was subject to a complex interplay of many factors and thus always resulted in a play of different nuances of one shade. This shading in the yarn or in the finished kilim or rug is called abrash. Once the yarn was finished, the warp strands were pulled as tightly as possible over the warp beam of the wooden weaving frame. Only then could the weaver begin weaving her kilim. Each motif, each symbol, each surface was woven by hand with much love and patience until the finished kilim was created and the ends of the kilim were knotted and often decorated with elaborately woven fringes. The production process often took several months, sometimes years, and was either carried out by a single weaver or by several women at the same time. Grandmothers, mothers, sisters, other family members or neighbors often sat at a weaving frame at the same time and told each other stories or sang songs together while weaving. The weaving of a kilim was not only for the purpose of subsequent use, but the whole process was a ritual, a ceremony, a form of meditation and prayer, an expression of the weaver's emotions and a medium to pass on the stories of times past in the form of woven poetry. 

Material

Wool is the most common fiber used in the manufacture of Anatolian carpets. It is not only abundant in Turkey, it is also a natural and very high quality material. In particular, the wool spun by hand has particularly long fibers and a high content of lanolin (wool fat). This makes it very durable, long-lasting and antibacterial. 

Natural sheep's wool is a living material that, through the influence of sun, air and water and through careful use, becomes softer and shinier over the years. A material that ages in beauty, is absolutely environmentally friendly and free of harmful substances. It has the property of self-cleaning and regenerating, brings warmth, a good indoor climate and pleasant room acoustics to any home. In addition, sheep wool and goat hair have the property to ground our bodies and dissipate negative electrostatic charge. 

Especially in big cities and when using electronic devices, these positive properties prove their worth.

Cleaning and restoration

The cleaning process of our vintage kilim carpets takes place cyclically and in harmony with nature. During the summer months, our rugs are first washed thoroughly with water and olive soap and then further cleaned with the power of the sun for up to three months at our "Kilim Field" in Antalya.

Tanning and airing removes stubborn stains and discoloration, odors, moths and bacteria. 

This intensive and natural cleaning process allows us to completely eliminate the use of chemicals that are harmful to the environment or anti-moth agents that are harmful to health.

After sunbathing in Antalya, our kilims and rugs are mechanically dusted and then sent to Istanbul. In our studio in the old town of Sultanahmet, each rug is individually stretched into shape and the ends are reknotted using a special technique to prevent the fabric from coming loose. Holes or discolored areas are rewoven true to the original. The complete cleaning and restoration process takes between six months and two years, depending on the kilim.

With loving treatment and careful care, our kilims and rugs can last for many more generations. Our rug do not require a great deal of care, but they do need the right care. We recommend that you vacuum or knock out your rug regularly and carefully to remove dirt and grime. It is sufficient to vacuum your rug once or twice a month. Vacuuming too often can wear out the knots and fibers more quickly. If you have a suction attachment on your vacuum cleaner, use this instead of a rotary vacuum cleaner.

Every few months you should turn your rug over and vacuum the back to remove dirt from the underside of the carpet. It is also helpful to rotate your rug once a year to ensure even wear and tear.

We recommend having your rug professionally washed by hand every 3 to 5 years. Please do not steam or dry clean it - this will definitely damage the rug ! Choose a carpet cleaner that uses a pH-neutral shampoo or olive soap for hand washing. Work the soap into the rug by hand using a soft-bristled brush and then rinse thoroughly. If you have any questions or need help choosing a carpet cleaner, please contact us. We work together with trustworthy oriental rug cleaners and restorers and can pass on discounted conditions to our customers.

A stain, now what?
Dab the stain with a dry cloth until it is dry. If necessary, you can dab with a slightly damp cloth and a little olive soap. Please do not wash your rug on your own. If the stain does not come out, contact an oriental carpet specialist for cleaning immediately. Adding a lot of liquid can make stains more difficult to remove and even make them worse. This is because moisture spreads along the fibers and can become trapped in carpets with horizontal fibers (such as flatweaves).

Food residues can be easily scraped off or brushed out when dried.