GHILEEMS, SILKS, AND FELTS
GHILEEMS
Also spelled Gileem, Gilim, Khilim, Kilim, Killim. A pileless rug which is made by binding a dyed weft thread around the warp threads by means of a shuttle or needle, making the fabric alike on both sides and leaving open spaces between the warp threads where the changes of color are made. This is the primitive mode of weaving and requires much more skill than does the pile method. Ghileems are woven at the present day more than ever all over the Caucasus, Anatolia, Kurdistan, Persia, and in some parts of Turkestan. Those which are found in the Western markets come mostly from Cæsarea, Senna, Shirvan, Kurdistan, and Merve.
As a rule each variety adopts the designs and colors which are in vogue in the particular locality from which they come, but frequently the border stripes do not extend around the whole fabric as is almost invariably the rule with the pile carpets. By the Oriental the Ghileems have been used as floor coverings from the earliest times; by the Occidental they are used almost exclusively as portières, couch covers, and table spreads. As a rule, they are sold in the Orient by weight, and, like most of the other textiles, have of late years not been extremely free from outside influences.
SENNA GHILEEM
Senna Ghileem is the finest quality of Ghileem produced, being much finer in texture than any of the other Ghileems. As a rule they have small intricate patterns, with an opening at each change of color, in fact they are exact duplicates of the Senna pile rugs in design and have the same finish on the sides and ends. The Herati design is commonly used in the field but seldom in the border. In sizes they vary from three and one-half to four and one-half by five and one-half to seven feet, seldom larger or smaller.
THE EXAMPLE ILLUSTRATED
The main border stripe carries a meandering vine with a pear-shaped leaf at each turn and on either side of it is a narrow stripe consisting of floral forms which are connected by leaves arranged in the form of a meander.