Oriental Rugs, Antique and Modern

by W. A. Hawley

Kir-Shehrs.—To the north of the great salt desert and in the southern part of the province of Angora is the town of Kir-Shehr. It stands between two mountain ranges, on which are raised sheep with fine fleeces, and is on the branch of the Kizil Irmak, whose waters are well suited for preparing wool for the dyes obtained in the surrounding country. On account of the excellence of wool, water, and natural dyes, as well as the remoteness of the town from main highways of travel, many of the old rugs were excellent pieces, free from the taint of Western influences, and possessing the charm of individuality. It was due, moreover, to the fact that its three or four thousand inhabitants, and the Turkomans who roamed the surrounding country, rarely felt the influence of larger cities that they were so untrammelled by conventionalities. Unhesitatingly they grouped together large spaces of red, yellow, and blue, as well as grass-coloured green, for which they had a particular fondness and employed to a greater extent than almost any other weavers; yet in the case of these old pieces the artistic sense is rarely shocked, since the individual colours are good and the tones are harmonious. Furthermore, the patterns show an unusual blending of floral and geometric forms.

Most of the pieces come in moderate sizes; some are mats, others small sedjadehs, but the choicest are the prayer rugs. The serrated sides of the arch, which rise at a steep angle from the centres of each side of the rather narrow fields, are formed of several parallel lines of different colour. In a not unusual rug, for instance, eight narrow lines separating the spandrel of grass-green from the inner field of brick-red appeared in the following order: red, black, white, yellow, lavender, yellow, red, and blue. The inmost line is frequently fringed with tri-cleft floral forms, which, as in Koniehs, extend in a row along the sides of the field. From the niche is usually suspended the design of an inverted tree of life, and above it are projected latch-hooks or similar devices. It is not unusual to see two arches, and there are sometimes as many as four, placed one within the other. The spacious spandrel that is continued in narrow stripes along the borders to the bottom of the field is covered with geometric or conventionalised floral forms; and the horizontal panel, which may be placed at either end of the field, contains designs in harmony with the remaining parts.

On the whole, the wide borders have some of the most characteristic features; for, as a rule, not only are one or two of the stripes of a peculiar cherry red and one a rich yellow, but three or four of the narrow stripes next to the field are similar in width and ornamentation to those of the Kulah. When contrasted with them the broad central stripe and the outer one seem lacking in harmony, for they are distinctly floral and suggestive of Persian influences.

On account of the quality of their wool and weave, these rugs are soft and flexible. They resemble in some minor details others of the Anatolian plateau, yet they can be distinguished by the presence of grass-green colour and the shape of the prayer arch. The nap of these old pieces, like that of Kulahs and Ladiks, is of medium length; though in modern pieces it is often longer, and the weft and webs are coloured as are those of Bergamos.

Type Characteristics. Colours, principally red and green, also some blue, brown, and white. Knot, Ghiordes. Knots to inch horizontally five to nine; perpendicularly, five to ten. A half knot as it appears at back is as long as, or longer than, wide. The rows of knots are not firmly pressed down, so that in places the warp shows. Warp, wool; each of the two threads encircled by a knot is equally prominent at back, or occasionally one is slightly depressed. Weft, wool, of medium or coarse diameter and generally of different colours in the same rug. A thread of weft crosses from two to six times between two rows of knots, varying in the same rug. Pile, wool, of medium length. Border, from five to eight stripes. Sides, a weft selvage of two, three, or four cords of different colours. Lower end, web and warp loops. Upper end, a web and warp fringe. Texture, loose. Weave at back is of coarse grain. Usual length, four to six feet. Usual width, two thirds to four fifths length.

Anatolians.—To all of Asia Minor was once applied the term “Anatolia,” which signifies the Land of the Rising Sun; so that any product of this country might well be called Anatolian, just as any product of Persia might be called Iranian. In fact, many of the less known classes, as the Nigde, Tuzla, Mudjar, and even the Kir-Shehr, Melez, and Konieh, are often called Anatolian. But as there is a special type of rugs known as Iranians, so is there a special type known as Anatolians. They are, however, a mixed lot, that come from parts of a wide stretch of territory, extending over the interior table-land to the home of the Kurds, and incorporating ideas received from many districts. It is, accordingly, difficult to define them as a type; but, as a rule, they are small pieces that are often used for mats and pillows, with moderately long nap of soft, floccy wool, with narrow borders, and a colour scheme that inclines to bright and sometimes garish colours.

Doubtless the best of them come from the provinces of Angora and Konieh, lying within a radius of one hundred miles of Lake Tuz Gul. Here can be obtained the best of wool and dyes; and in some of the old pieces appears the artistic drawing of the more important rug centres farther to the west, but with a strange blending of geometric and floral forms. Eight-pointed stars as well as latch-hooks are seen everywhere, and a very old design with the shape of ram’s horns is frequently used. In many of the prayer rugs the arches are of the Kir-Shehr order, though the panels may contain vandykes suggestive of Ladiks. There is the greatest latitude in the width of the borders, which occasionally are their most noticeable feature and again are most insignificant; but in either case they rarely contain more than three stripes, and not infrequently only one. Red, blue, green, and brown are the usual colours, but pink and canary yellow are sometimes used.

Farther to the east, among the foot-hills of the Anti-Taurus mountains, is woven a coarser type by the Kurdish tribes. With the exception of wool and dyes they have little to their credit; for their usual unsymmetric shapes, crude geometric designs, long uneven nap, and braided fringe of warp at the ends are lacking in all elegance.

Type Characteristics. Colours, principally red, blue, green, brown, and white. Knot, Ghiordes. Knots to inch horizontally five to nine; perpendicularly, six to twelve. A half knot, as it appears at back, is generally as long as wide, or longer. The rows of knots are not firmly pressed down, yet the warp is frequently concealed at back. Warp, wool; each of the two threads encircled by a knot is equally prominent at back. Weft, wool, of medium or coarse diameter and usually dyed, A thread of weft crosses two, three, and four times between two rows of knots frequently varying in the same piece. Pile, wool, of medium length. Border, one to three stripes, and occasionally an edging. Sides, a weft selvage of two or three cords. Both ends, a web and warp fringe. Texture, loose. Weave at back is of coarse grain. Usual length, two and one half to six feet. Usual width, one half to two thirds length.

Karamans.—At the foot of Mt. Taurus and overlooking the plain that stretches northward into the heart of Asia Minor is the city of Karaman. Before its subjection in the XV Century by Bajazet II and the removal of the capital to Konieh, that lies sixty miles to the northwest, it was the seat of a Turkish government extending to the Mediterranean Sea; but to-day the only reminder of its early importance are several Saracenic mosques covered with rich arabesques. Of the rugs woven there during the early period almost nothing is known, but, on account of the former importance of the city, it is not improbable that they compared favourably with the rugs of other parts of the Turkish Empire. On the other hand, some of the modern products are among the poorest rugs of the East, and contain little artistic merit. A feature peculiar to many of them is the use of natural wool of reddish brown colour, obtained from sheep which live on the mountain ranges to the south of Karaman. The pile is long, the weave is never very firm, and at each end is a coloured web.