Carpet gifted to the Netherlands to be restored in Türkiye

AKSARAY

A carpet, which was gifted in 1907 by the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II to the Peace Palace, which serves as the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, will be restored in Türkiye.

The 162-square-meter Hereke carpet was brought to Sultanhanı district of the central Anatolian province of Aksaray for the restoration. The carpet will be taken to the Netherlands after the completion of the restoration work that will be made by 25 people in a year.

Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Nadir Alpaslan said, “This is a very special carpet decorated with the cultural elements of our country. During the restoration process, the Hereke carpet will be renewed in each stitch according to its technical specifications and will be sent back to its home. The carpet has been witnessing history in the Japanese Hall of the Peace Palace for more than 100 years. This unique carpet is one of the important examples reflecting the cultural richness of Türkiye. Therefore, its restoration should be done in our country. This is a concrete indicator of Türkiye-Netherlands relations of more than 400 years.”

Stating that the story of the carpet is a symbol of the strong ties between the two countries, Dutch Ambassador to Ankara Joep Wijnands said, “Hereke carpet is the best-quality carpet in the world. I want to say that the friendship between us is as strong as the stitches on the carpet. Next year we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of our friendship. Diplomatic relations go back about 400 years. It is a very strong historical monument between the two countries. Everyone knows tulips in Türkiye. Tulip is an international symbol in the Netherlands. You are the ones who brought the tulip to the Netherlands. Also, many people do not know that Türkiye provided help for the Netherlands to gain independence 500 years ago. We are developing our cultural connections. We see more and more tourists coming to Türkiye. I brought my family in the summer to spend time. After this carpet is restored and returned by great masters, it will continue to be a symbol of the friendship of the two countries.”