OTTOMAN COURT RUGS
Searching for their origins
Murray L. Eiland

SIX OR NINE
Legens of birth and death from Pazyryk
Alibek Kazhgaly uly Malayev

A truly comprehensive history of the Turkish rug has never been accomplished, although there has been substantial scholarly interest. The aspect that has been particularly neglected, in the opinion of this author, is the manner in which the growing wealth and sophistication of the Ottoman court sought out and assimilated motifs and styles from subject or neighboring peoples, adapting disparate elements in such a manner as to form by the 17th century a clearly Ottoman style that is still recognizable in village products today, although the various designs have continued to evolve.
Perhaps most controversial is a class of finely woven ( ... )

Those who appreciate the work of Salvador Dali will certainly know his canvas depicting swans reflected in water as elephants.
I intend offering something similar to admirers of the textile arts, taking as example the worldÕs oldest felt work or, to be more exact, the design of the felt saddlecloth illustrated by V.M. Suntseva in his book, The culture of the Mountainous Altai Population in Scythian Times, by S.I. Rudenko.
At first glance, there is not much difference between the design on the felt saddlecloth and contemporary compositions. But unlike Salvador Dal“, who strikes the audience with visual acrobatic miracles, our ancestors attributed a profound meaning to their creations. ( ... )

For more than a millennium, knotted rugs have been sold in the West, travelling as ambassadors of a different and exotic culture and bearing witness on the one hand to the refined skill of the craftsmen who made them, and on the other to the richness of ideas, bond with traditions and strong religious spirit.
For a time, it seemed possible to bridge the gulf between the two civilisations, and it is important to remember that, however remote, they have always been linked by dense network of contacts, and these were not only commercial and cultural: the so-called Silk Road provided not only an avenue for precious goods but also for ideas and people. (...)