Herke Rug

Herke is a rug woven in Turkey. Herke is a Turkish city near Istanbul and is famous for its high-quality silk products. These rugs are also known as Esmirna and are rich in history.

Historical Background

Carper weaving workshopsare believed to have been first set up in 1843 AD on the orders of the then ruler Sultan Abdolmajid. Summoning the famous weavers of the city, he aimed to produce high-quality rugs using large-sized cloth and patterns. It is said that Herke rugs were basically meant to serve as gifts donated by Sultan Abdolmajid, but later came in common use. There rugs were initially woven not based on Ottoman and Ushak styles but according to the Persian methods (a style using Qosur Sultan large cloth) as well as the French patterns.

Technical Specifics

Herke rugs initially contained asymmetrical ties since they were based on Persian patterns meant to match Persian products. Later, patterns of different structures yet influenced by the Persian patterns were produced. Modern Herke rugs contain symmetrical ties using raw materials of two different qualities, chief among them are all-silk products. These rugs with a density of 10,000 ties in decimeters are known as 100*100. The second type of Herke rug is woven with cotton and wool warps. This type is known as 60*60 as it is of 3600 ties density in decimeters.

Esmirna Rug

As Herke rugs were exported to Europe through a port in England called Esmirna, they are also known as Esmirna. Europeans were interested in Herke rugs mainly because the light red and blue colours found in these rugs were in perfect harmony with their hugon furniture.

Bibliography

1. "A documentary account of the history of Hereke: court workshop to model factory (1987).
2. "Blake, David, translator of Nazila Mariya. 2014, "Atlas of carpets and rugs". "Encyclopedic Foundation of Iran.
3. "Yilmaz, Yashar and others. beta "Harke carpets and silk fabrics". Istanbul Palace and Parliament.