Central to an understanding of the Anatolian kilim
is an understanding of the weaving techniques used in village and nomadic rug-weaving societies throughout the world. The simplest and
probably the oldest form of weaving was the plain weave.
The warp threads run vertically along the loom, and the weft threads are passed over and under each warp thread,
horizontally as in illustration a. The warp and weft threads will be present in each of the weaving styles shown below.
A knotted pile carpet is created by tying a knot of colored yarn to the warp thread before
pushing a couple of weft threads down tightly against it. This drawing shows the symmetrical Turkish, or Gördes knot, used not just in Turkey but all over the Middle Eastern world to create a pile carpet. (Click on the image at right to enlarge it and use your back button to return to this page).
The knots are tied to the warp threads and two weft threads are pushed down tightly on top of them to secure the knots. The drawings show everything spread out for clarity.
This drawing shows the asymmetrical Persian or Sehna knot, also used not just in Turkey but all over
the Middle Eastern world to create a pile carpet. The knots are tied to the warp threads and two weft threads are pushed down tightly on top of them to secure the knots.(Click on the image at right to enlarge it).
Finally, this drawing shows the sumak weave, which is the most common
way of producing a brocaded rug. The design is formed from
the weft threads, which are wrapped over four warps. back under two, and over four and so on. (Click on the image at right to enlarge it).
A kilim has no knots at all. Since only a very limited number of designs can be created using a plain weave, the early Anatolian weavers discovered how to
vary it by using a discontinuous weave (Click on the image to enlarge it). This method leaves small slits between the adjoining colors, since the weft threads
are not connected across to the next color. It is the weaving technique that makes a textile a kilim. If a textile
is woven by one of the other methods, the Turkish weaver would call it something else. Turkish weavers do not have a monopoly on the slit weave technique. It is used
by tribal weavers in many other parts of the world.
Anatolian kilims were always woven by a family group or a single
woman, not by professional weavers working in groups to produce commercial carpets. The family group or weaver memorized
a small number of abstract designs and symbols that could be translated into rectilinear shapes on a loom. The color palette
available to the weaver knew no such bounds--the variety and subtlety of shades that was available to the dyers and weavers was almost
infinite.The women of Anatolia have, for thousands of years, created beautiful flatweavings that only recently have come to be appreciated by Western collectors. There are several reasons why the flatwoven Kilim is such a recent discovery amongst collectors. Most westerners have formed pre-conceived notions about carpets, primarily that a carpet must have a knotted pile. Flatweavings were seen as a minority tradition within a greater and older tradition of knotted pile carpets and rugs. The reverse is actually true. Flatweavings predate knotted pile carpets by many thousands of years, and flat weaving has dominated the five-thousand year old history of woven textiles in the Near East.
Another preconception that has kept collectors from recognizing the importance of flat
weaving is the tendency in the West to regard weavings as floor coverings. The kilim was used to create the walls of
tents, to make saddle bags and containers, dust covers for furniture, for artistic as well as practical household uses. It was used as an expression of tribal
culture, as part of a young woman's skill. A kilim could be spread on the floor and used for food preparation. It could be slept on. It was never used
exclusively for walking on. A third reason for the absence of Kilims in important textile collections
is their scarcity. A Kilim was an important part of a tribe's cultural inheritance. It was traded, passed down to
the next generation, or used for a dowry, and as such did not end up on the commercial market. It is only during
the last few decades, when Anatolian tribal culture has been almost totally destroyed, that Kilims have been given
up for commercial sale. They have quickly become the most prized possessions of textile collectors, and frequently
break records for flatweave textiles in the auction houses. (Click on the image to enlarge).The study of rugs is a study of a vanishing way of life. Nomadic, pastoral tribes are vanishing rapidly. Even without the destruction of tribes by warfare in the Middle East, most of the young people today have no interest in learning the traditional crafts of rug-weaving. The age-old techniques and patterns memorized by generations are rapidly dying out. Very soon, all these ancient techniques and skills will have vanished. In our lifetime, we will see the extinction of the ancient artform of hand-woven rugs. Fully mechanized and automated looms are being set up in Istanbul and other Middle Eastern cities to satisfy the tourist and export trade. India and China have become the world's leading exporters of copies of Oriental rugs. We are already studying and collecting history.