Symbols, styles and motifs on Turkish rugs, carpets and khilims

The cultural heritage of two thousand years

Turkish rugs, carpets and kilims may be considered as important documents of Turkish culture. They reflect the signs of social lives, economic structure and aesthetic norms of the period in which they were woven.

Turkish rugs and carpets constitute cultural heritage of two thousand years. The traditional Turkish hand made carpets, with their weaving style and technique, meanings and symbols, dyes and colors reflect life styles of Turkish tribes and clans, who had the chance to live in a great geography from the steppes of Central Asia to Anatolia.

This sing expresses the yearning of a young woman to get married. Traditionally in Anatolian vilages the girls keep their hair long and will not cut it until they get married.

The motifs and colors on Turkish rugs, carpets and kilims communicate feelings and surrounding of the weaver. As you stroll around the colors and motifs of Turkish rugs, you witness happiness, dreams, sorrows, hopes, wishes and desires of Anatolian woman. Every Turkish rug is a letter written by the weaver.

Abstracted expression of nature

The ram's horn denotes fertility,heroism and power.

Objects on Turkish rugs are not woven as they are observed in nature. Simplified and abstracted symbols are used. Those abstracted symbols are called motifs. The method of transmission of nature and events by means of symbols is the most distinctive characteristic of Turkish carpets. Each motif on Turkish rugs, which is stylized in accordance with the weaving technique, is attributed to symbolic expression of nature. To learn more about Turkish rug motifs refer to the following links: Language of Turkish Rugs | The language of motifs from Alive magazine