TÜLÜ Angora Shaggy Rug 306x202cm

Anatolian flat-woven kilim rug made of hand-spun sheep's wool. A unique vintage piece with collector's value!

Selected by Wild Heart Free Soul according to the highest quality standards, naturally cleaned with the power of the sun and professionally restored.

Age-related patina and natural irregularities are characteristic of our handmade vintage rugs.

• Material: 65% hand-spun sheep's wool, 35% goat hair, highest quality
• Workmanship: Flat-woven by hand on a traditional, horizontal wooden loom
• Age: Semi-antique. Approx. 1960-1970
• Condition: Vintage in new condition due to extensive cleaning and restoration process
• Origin: Konya, Anatolia
• Size: 306 x 202 cm, height: 4 mm

Region of Origin

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

Symbolism

In Anatolia, a variety of symbols and patterns with origins in the Neolithic period were used in traditional kilims and carpets. Over millennia, nomadic and village women wove themes into their carpets that were significant to their lives. One of the main symbols is the figure of "Elibelinde", which represents the Cosmic Mother and her creative feminine power. Other motifs represent desires, such as for happiness and children, while others serve as protection against threats like wolves, scorpions, or the evil eye. Motifs were often combined when woven into patterns on kilims, thereby acquiring multi-layered meanings. Thus, each carpet tells its own story in the form of woven poetry.

Production

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

Subsequently, the yarn bundles were dyed in an elaborate, manual process using natural pigments or Alizarin dyes. Each individual shade had to be dyed separately. By dyeing independently, the weaver could unleash her creativity and had control over the color scheme; at the same time, the result was subject to a complex interplay of many factors, always resulting in a play of colors with different nuances of a single hue. This shading in the yarn or in the finished kilim or carpet is called Abrasch. After the yarn was finished, the warp threads were stretched as tautly as possible over the warp beam of the wooden loom. Only then could the weaver begin weaving her kilim. Every motif, every symbol, every area 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 adorned with elaborately braided fringes. The production process often took several months, sometimes years, and was carried out either by a single weaver or by several women simultaneously. Thus, grandmother, mother, sisters, other family members, or neighbors often sat at a loom at the same time, telling each other stories or singing songs while weaving. Weaving a kilim served not only for subsequent use, but the entire 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 stories of past times in the form of woven poetry. 

Material

Wool is the most commonly used fiber in the production of Anatolian carpets. Not only is it abundant in Turkey, but it is also a natural and very high-quality material. Especially hand-spun wool has particularly long fibers and a high proportion of lanolin (wool grease). 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 careful use, becomes softer and shinier over the years. A material that ages beautifully, is absolutely environmentally friendly and free of harmful substances. It has the property to clean and regenerate itself, brings warmth, a good indoor climate, and pleasant room acoustics into every home. In addition, sheep's wool and goat hair have the property of grounding our bodies and dissipating negative electrostatic charge. 

These positive properties are particularly proven in large cities and when using electronic devices.

Cleaning and Restoration

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

Sunbathing and airing remove stubborn stains and discolorations, odors, moths, and bacteria. 

Through this intensive and natural cleaning process, we can completely dispense with environmentally harmful chemicals or health-damaging anti-moth agents.

After sunbathing in Antalya, our kilims and carpets are mechanically dusted and then sent to Istanbul. In our atelier in the old town of Sultanahmet, each carpet is individually stretched into shape, the ends are re-knotted with a special technique so that the fabric cannot unravel. Holes or discolored areas are re-woven true to the original. The complete cleaning and restoration process takes between six months and two years, depending on the kilim.

MATERIAL

Sheep's wool is a natural and very high-quality material. All our carpets are woven from hand-spun sheep's wool yarn, which consists of long fibers and has a very high lanolin (wool grease) content. This makes the wool particularly dirt-resistant, water-repellent, and antibacterial.

Sheep's wool is also a living material that, with use and exposure to sun, air, and water, becomes softer and shinier over the years. It's a material that ages gracefully, is absolutely environmentally friendly and free of harmful substances, and cleans and regenerates itself.

CARE

With loving treatment and regular care, a Wild Heart Free Soul Kilim will look as good as new even after many years of use. Genuine Kilims can thus last for several generations.

Our Kilims don't require much care, but they do need the right care. A Kilim should be regularly and gently vacuumed or beaten out. Stains can almost always be removed with a slightly damp cloth. Dried food residues can easily be scraped off or brushed out.

A Kilim should not remain wet for long, as this can cause it to warp. Therefore, we do not recommend washing it yourself. If you feel your Kilim needs a wash, please contact a professional, trustworthy carpet cleaner or us. We offer all Wild Heart Free Soul customers discounted rates for carpet cleaning and restoration.