AFYON Vintage Kilim 364x168cm

• Unique vintage rug - only one in stock!
• Material: 100% high-quality, hand-spun sheep's wool
• Craftsmanship: Hand flat-woven on a traditional wooden loom
• Age: Vintage / Semi-antique. Approx. 1960s
• Condition: Vintage in new condition due to extensive cleaning and restoration process
• Origin: Afyon, Anatolia
• Dimensions: 364cm x 168cm, Height: 3mm

Anatolian kilims are much more than mere textile utility items – they are woven memories, personal messages, and an expression of lived culture. For generations, women from nomadic tribes and villages wove their wishes, hopes, and stories into the fabric – freely, intuitively, and full of symbolism.

This kilim, too, was woven in an Anatolian home – from the wool of their own sheep, shorn, washed, combed, and hand-spun. The dyeing of the yarns often used natural pigments from madder, weld, walnut, or indigo – but from the 1950s onwards, synthetic dyes increasingly found their way into the villages. The world became faster, more colourful – not every kilim remained purely vegetable-dyed. Many pieces from the 1960s and 1970s bear the traces of a cultural transition in their colours: between old and new, craft and modernity.

Weaving was a ritual act – accompanied by songs, stories, silence. Often, several women sat together at the loom: mother, grandmother, sister, neighbour. Every knot, every line, every symbol carried meaning – protection, fertility, connection, strength. Symbols like the eye (Göz), the cosmic mother (Elibelinde) or the scorpion became carriers of deep messages.

They were used, loved, passed down – and some of them slept for a long time in chests until they one day came back to light.

Today, we clean and restore these pieces with the utmost respect: washed with olive soap, dried in the Antalya sun, repaired in our Istanbul studio.

Some pieces are with us for only a few months, others accompany us for years – because we never rush anything. Every kilim is restored with time, care, and respect. Some await the right restorer, the summer months to bathe in the sunlight – for their quiet re-transformation into a living work of art.

A kilim from Wild Heart Free Soul is not a product.
It is a heritage. A woven wish.
And perhaps a companion for your home of tomorrow.

A kilim is a long-lasting companion – if treated with love and cared for attentively, it can outlast many more generations. It doesn't require elaborate care, but rather the right kind of care.

We recommend gently vacuuming or shaking out the kilim once or twice a month to remove dust and dirt. Please do not use a rotating vacuum cleaner for this; ideally, use a brush attachment or a gentle handheld device. Too frequent, intensive vacuuming can wear out the fibers in the long run.

Every few months, it's worthwhile to turn the kilim over and vacuum the back side as well. Turning the rug slightly once a year ensures even wear and maintains the balance in the weave.

For basic cleaning, we recommend professional hand washing every 3 to 5 years – with pH-neutral shampoo or olive soap, gently worked in by hand and thoroughly rinsed. Please never dry-clean or steam-clean your kilim – this would damage the fibers. If you need assistance in choosing a suitable cleaner, we are happy to advise you. We work with experienced oriental rug specialists and are happy to pass on our special conditions.

And if an accident does happen: Dab fresh stains immediately with a clean, dry cloth. If necessary, carefully dab with a little olive soap and a slightly damp cloth – without rubbing, without soaking. For stubborn stains, please consult a specialist directly. Liquid that spreads along the fibers, especially in flat weaves, can become permanently trapped.

Dried food residues can usually be carefully scraped off or brushed out – ideally with a steady hand and without haste.