USAK Sofra Vintage Kilim 125x118cm
Uşak Sofra Vintage Kelim – A Woven Circle of Community
This square Uşak Sofra Kelim, woven in the fine Cicim technique, was once part of a simple but deeply meaningful ritual: It was spread out under a round, flat wooden table – the Sofra – around which everyone gathered. A large tablecloth was placed over it, and everyone pulled a corner onto their lap. After the meal, the cloth was carefully folded and shaken out outdoors – a daily ritual of closeness, mindfulness, and connection.
The woven symbols carry this very meaning:
- Göz (Eye): Protection against evil
- Haç (Cross): Ward off negative influences
- Su Yolu (Flowing Water): Flow of life and renewal
- Elibelinde: Female strength and care
- Buğday (Wheat): Nourishment, abundance, and blessing
This Kelim is more than a piece of textile – it is a woven circle of family, nourishment, protection, and memory.
Handwoven from wool, dimensions: 125x118cm – a precious heirloom that once formed the heart of the home and today, as a work of art, recalls the warmth of shared meals.
USAK Sofra Vintage Kilim 125x118cm
Wild Heart Free Soul
Kastanienallee 55
10119 Berlin
Germany
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- Unique vintage rug - only one in stock!
- Material: high-quality, hand-spun sheep's wool and cotton
- Craftsmanship: Flat-woven by hand on a traditional wooden loom
- Age: Vintage / Semi-antique. Approx. 1960s
- Condition: Vintage in like-new quality due to extensive cleaning and restoration process
- Origin: Usak, Anatolia
- Dimensions: 125cm x 118cm, Height: 3mm
Anatolian kilims are far more than textile utility objects – 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 took place with 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 colorful – not every kilim remained purely plant-dyed. Many pieces from the 1960s and 1970s bear the traces of a cultural transition in their hues: between old and new, craftsmanship and modernity.
Weaving was a ritual act – accompanied by songs, stories, silence. Often, several women sat together at the loom: mother, grandmother, sister, neighbor. 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 long in chests until they one day came to light again.
Today, we clean and restore these pieces with the utmost respect: washed with olive soap, dried in the sun of Antalya, repaired in our Istanbul atelier.
Some pieces are with us for only a few months, others accompany us for years – because we rush nothing. Every kilim is restored with time, care, and respect. Some await the right restorer, the summer months to bask in the sunlight – for their silent re-transformation into a living work of art.
A kilim from Wild Heart Free Soul is not a product.
It is a legacy. 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 mindfully, it can survive many more generations. It doesn't require elaborate care, but above all, the right kind of care.
We recommend gently vacuuming or shaking out your kilim once or twice a month to remove dust and dirt. Please do not use a rotary vacuum cleaner for this; ideally, use a brush attachment or a gentle handheld device. Too frequent, intensive vacuuming can eventually wear out the fibers.
Every few months, it's worth turning the kilim over and vacuuming the back as well. If you slightly rotate the rug once a year, you ensure even wear and maintain the balance in the weave.
For basic cleaning, we recommend professional hand washing every 3 to 5 years – using pH-neutral shampoo or olive soap, gently worked in by hand and thoroughly rinsed. Please never put your kilim in dry cleaning or steam cleaning – 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: Immediately blot fresh stains with a clean, dry cloth. If necessary, you can carefully dab with a little olive soap and a slightly damp cloth – without rubbing, without soaking. For stubborn dirt, please consult a specialist directly. Liquid that spreads along the fibers can become permanently trapped, especially in flat weaves.
Dried food residues can usually be carefully scraped off or brushed out – ideally with a steady hand and without rushing.