A wide variety of
type for carpets are produced in Turkey within widely varying degrees of
quality. For the discerning buyer or collector there are twelve recognized
types of carpets, each type produced in different geographical districts
and each having distinctive designs, colours and quality. They are easily
noted once one learns to "read" or recognize the patterns or designs and
colours associated with the geographical area in which produced. the
finest contemporary and highest quality of silk and wool carpets currently
made in Turkey are produced in town near
Istanbul, called Hereke.
Hereke Silk
Carpet
The Hereke
carpets are either woven in pure silk or cotton and wool. The pure silk
carpet uses silk from Bursa. In wool and cotton carpets the warps and
welfts are cotton and the best quality of wool is used d-for knoots in the
pile. The silk Hereke carpets has from 1.0 to 1.2 million knots per square
meter. The knot density in the highest quality wool carpets is any where
between 360,000 to 400,000 knots per square meter. In second quality wool
carpets the knots are around 250,000 to 300,000 per square meter. The
dominant colours in Hereke carpets are dark blue, cream and cinnamon and
occasionally yellow and green are used. The treditional floral designs are
common and each design has its own name, such as : Seljuk Star, Seven
Mountain Flowers, Ploneise, 101 Flowers, and Tulip. The flowers in the
design and the hormany of colours add warth to a home.
