Turkish rugs are a historical treasure of Turkey dating back to the 11th century. Turkish rugs and kilims are highly sought after for their rich colors, warm tones and extraordinary patterns. The art of weaving was introduced to Anatolia by the Seljuks during the end of the 11th century. During the Ottoman reign, the village of Hereke opened the first carpet workshop where carpets were woven to decorate Ottoman palaces and given as gifts to kings and queens, key army commanders and statesmen. Turkish rugs began entering European homes, churches and castles through intermediaries such as Florence and Genoa merchants towards the end of the 14th century. Today, world museums exhibit the carpets woven in Anatolia, beginning from the Seljuk period and continuing with the Ottoman Empire, as some of their most important and valuable works of art.
Turkish carpets and kilims also play a role as a communication device. Each Turkish carpet and kilim has rich messages conveyed through meaningful and colorful patterns. Generally the motives symbolize religious beliefs, nobility, power or other themes. Carpets derive their names from the localities in which they were produced, as well from the techniques of their manufacture, the characteristic patterns of their ornamentation, they layout of the design and the color scheme. Because Turkey has such as a rich weaving culture, every city, town and village has a weaving center.
Turkey is also among the most important machine-made carpet producers and suppliers in the world. Turkish machine-made carpet producers continuously introduce new trends, a large variety of different types of carpets, new designs and colors to world markets. The manufacturing base of machine-made carpets in Turkey is Gaziantep, the second largest carpet manufacturing center in the world. About 70% of all production and 80% of all exports come from Gaziantep. The city is set to become the world leader in the carpet sector with this aim supported by continuous investments in designers and staff, production technology, and design development and brands.
Click here to see the list of carpet and rug manufacturers.