Turkish carpets (Anatolian carpets)

Turkish carpets are sometimes also named Anatolian carpets . The oldest Turkish carpets found, originate from the 13th century and can be found in the city of Konya, which for a long time was the center for Turkish carpet manufacturing. Carpets that were made in the 16th and 17th century are fully comparable with the Persian carpets.

The Turkish carpets are highly influenced by the Greeks which back in time dominated carpet manufacturing. The carpets which are thicker, consists of wool, cotton and silk and are always tied with a Turkish knot, also called Ghiordes knot or Turkbaff . Commonly used patterns are based on prayer niches with more geometrical motifs. Humans and animals are not portrayed since the Quran does not allow this.

The most common carpets today are manufactured on a smaller scale in Ankara and the Konya area, and are called Jerevan-, Kayseri-, Mekri-, Hereke-, Ghiordes-, Kula-, Oushak-, Yahyali- and Yagcibedir carpets.

Some examples of Turkish carpets:

Anatolia (on Turkish Anadolu; on Greek Anatol or Anatoli, "sunrise" or "east", compare with the Orient; eventually from the Turkish ana, "mother" and dolu "filled") is another name for Asia Minor, a peninsula in the southwest of Asia which occupies the bigger part of Turkey. The countryside is dominated by high mountain chains. The most important city in todays Anatolia is Ankara, the capital of Turkey, which is situated in the middle of the peninsula.