Turkish Hereke rugs

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Hereke is located approximately 65 km east of Istanbul and is where the finest rugs are produced in Turkey. Originally the workshops in this town were established by the government as the imperial factory to weave the finest carpets for the Ottoman court. Although Hereke produced both wool and silk carpets it is world renowned for its double knotted silk rugs. Large silk carpets are rare and most are woven in smaller sizes. Many different designs are utilized, however most are adapted from Persian classical motifs. Most patterns are curvilinear utilizing floral patterns, vines, tendrils which fill the general field of the carpet with a central medallion. Sometimes paradise garden designs may also be woven with birds and other animals. In some prayer carpet designs the upper cartouches may have Arabic script from a renowned poet or “The Quran”. In some rare unique pieces created 30 years ago the motifs were accentuated by gold and silver threads in a weft-wrapping technique employed by Armenian weavers which gave a unique three dimensional relief effect to the carpet. These pieces are rare and very valuable. Most Hereke carpets will have the name of the town in the border written with arabic script. These are excellent quality rugs which are highly sought collectable pieces and are foreseen to appreciate due to the limited numbers that are produced.

What makes a hand-knotted rug valuable?