ESKISEHIR Vintage Kilim 207x165cm

Unique Vintage Kilim Rug: Limited availability, only one available!

• Material: 100% high-quality sheep's wool, carefully hand-spun.
• Manufacture: Artfully flat-woven on traditional wooden looms, a testament to true craftsmanship.
• Age: Vintage. Semi-antique. Circa 1960s
• Condition: Carefully restored vintage rug, in like-new condition through professional cleaning and restoration processes.
• Origin: Eskişehir, Anatolia
• Dimensions: 207 cm length x 165 cm width, 5 mm thickness.

This rug is not only a piece of history, but also a work of art that adds a unique and culturally rich atmosphere to any room.

Region of Origin

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

Symbolism

In Anatolia, a variety of symbols and patterns with Neolithic origins were used in traditional kilims and rugs. For thousands of years, nomadic and village women wove themes significant to their lives into their rugs. One of the main symbols is the figure of "Elibelinde," representing the Cosmic Mother and her creative feminine power. Other motifs represent desires, such as for happiness and children, while some serve as protection against threats like wolves, scorpions, or the evil eye. Motifs were often combined when woven into patterns on kilims, acquiring complex meanings. Thus, each rug tells its own story in the form of woven poetry.

Production

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

Subsequently, the yarn bundles were dyed in a complex, 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 control the color scheme. At the same time, the result was subject to a complex interplay of many factors, always resulting in a play of different nuances of a single color. This shading in the yarn or in the finished kilim or rug is called abrash. 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. Each motif, each symbol, each area was woven by hand with great love and patience until the finished kilim emerged, 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, grandmothers, mothers, sisters, other family members, or neighbors often sat at a loom at the same time, telling each other stories or singing songs together while weaving. Weaving a kilim was not just for the purpose of subsequent use; 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 rugs. Not only is it abundant in Turkey, but it is also a natural and very high-quality material. In particular, hand-spun wool has particularly long fibers and a high content 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 with 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 of self-cleaning and regenerating, bringing warmth, a good indoor climate, and pleasant room acoustics to every home. In addition, sheep's wool and goat hair have the property of grounding our bodies and dissipating negative electrostatic charges. 

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

Cleaning and Restoration

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

The sunning and airing removes stubborn stains and discolorations, odors, moths, and bacteria. 

This intensive and natural cleaning process allows us to completely avoid environmentally harmful chemicals or health-damaging anti-moth agents.

After sunbathing in Antalya, our kilims and rugs are mechanically dusted and then sent to Istanbul. In our atelier in the old city of Sultanahmet, each rug is individually stretched into shape, and the ends are re-knotted using a special technique to prevent the weave from unraveling. 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.

With loving and careful treatment, our kilims and rugs can last for many more generations. Our rugs don't require a lot of maintenance, but they do need the right kind of care. We recommend regularly and gently vacuuming or shaking out your rug to remove dirt and debris. Vacuuming your rug once or twice a month is sufficient. Over-vacuuming can cause knots and fibers to wear out faster. If your vacuum cleaner has a suction attachment, use it instead of a rotating brush.

Every few months, you should flip your rug over and vacuum the back to remove dirt from the underside. It's also helpful to rotate your rug once a year to ensure even wear.

We recommend having your rug professionally hand-washed every 3 to 5 years. Please do not have it steam cleaned or dry cleaned – this will certainly damage the rug! Choose a rug cleaner who uses a pH-neutral shampoo or olive soap for hand washing. The soap is worked into the rug by hand with a soft-bristle brush and then thoroughly rinsed. If you have any questions or need assistance in choosing a rug cleaner, please feel free to contact us. We work with trusted oriental rug cleaners and restorers and can pass on discounted rates to our customers.

A stain, now what?
Blot the stain with a dry cloth until it is dry. If necessary, you can dab it with a very slightly damp cloth and a little olive soap. Please do not wash your rug yourself. If the stain doesn't come out, contact an oriental rug specialist immediately for cleaning. Adding a lot of liquid can make stain removal more difficult and even worsen them. This is because moisture spreads along the fibers and can get trapped in rugs with horizontal fibers (like flat weaves).

Dried food residues can be easily scraped off or brushed out.