TAVAS Vintage Kilim 280x153cm

• Unique vintage rug - only one in stock!
• Material: 100% high-quality, hand-spun sheep's wool
• Workmanship: Flat-woven by hand on a traditional wooden loom
• Age: Vintage / Semi-antique. Circa 1960s
• Condition: Vintage in like-new quality due to extensive cleaning and restoration process
• Origin: Tavas, Anatolia
• Dimensions: 280cm x 153cm, Height: 3mm

Region of Origin

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

Symbolism

In Anatolia, a variety of symbols and patterns, originating from the Neolithic period, were used in traditional kilims and carpets. Over millennia, nomadic and village women have woven themes significant to their lives into their carpets. One of the main symbols is the figure of "Elibelinde", representing the Cosmic Mother and her creative female power. Other motifs represent wishes, such as for happiness and children, while others serve as protection against threats like wolves, scorpions, or the evil eye. Often, motifs were combined when woven into patterns on kilims, 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, carded, and hand-spun the wool from her own sheep and goats into yarn.

Subsequently, the yarn bundles were dyed in an elaborate, manual process with pigments from nature or with aniline 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, while 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 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. Every motif, every symbol, every area was woven by hand with great 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 and told each other stories or sang songs together while weaving. The weaving of 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 the stories of past times in the form of woven poetry. 

Material

Wool is the most commonly used fiber in the production of Anatolian carpets. It is not only 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 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 through 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 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 prove particularly valuable 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. During the summer months, our carpets are first thoroughly washed with water and olive soap and then further cleaned by the power of the sun for up to three months on our “Kilim Field” in Antalya.

Sunbathing and airing out remove 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 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 come loose. 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 treatment and careful care, 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 that you regularly and carefully vacuum or beat your rug to remove dirt and grime. It's sufficient to vacuum your rug once or twice a month. Vacuuming too frequently can cause the knots and fibers to wear out faster. If your vacuum cleaner has a suction attachment, use that instead of a rotating brush.

Every few months, you should turn your rug over and vacuum the back to remove dirt from the underside of the rug. 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 take it for steam cleaning or dry cleaning – 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 help choosing a rug cleaning service, 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, what now?
Dab the stain with a dry cloth until it's dry. If necessary, you can gently dab it with a slightly damp cloth and a little olive soap. Please do not wash your rug yourself. If the stain doesn't come out, immediately contact an oriental rug specialist 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.