Patchwork method used for old carpets to survive as decoration

NEVŞEHİR - Anadolu Agency

Old silk and woolen carpets are being weaved by female locals in wooden carpet looms with madder. AA photos

Old carpets, which are reproduced through the patchwork method in the Cappadocia region, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Turkey, are sold at good prices. The patchwork carpets find buyers for $300 per square meter.

Silk and woolen carpets are being weaved by female locals in wooden carpet looms with madder and draw much interest from tourists visiting the central Anatolian region.

Large carpet stores in the towns of Avanos and Ürgüp collect these 40-50 year-old deformed pieces of carpets from all around the country and combine them using patchwork method. In this way, the old carpets are brought into the region’s economy.

Drawing much interest

The director of Cappadocia’s first big touristic carpet store in Avanos, Sefa Yıldırım said patchwork carpets produced with old woolen carpet pieces drew much interest in recent years, particularly from tourists from South American countries.

He said patchwork carpets brought good income, adding they combined the pieces of different carpets considering the color and motif harmony. “Although they are old carpets, they are renewed through this process.”

Yıldırım said the old carpets go through five stages and continued: “First of all, the dust on these carpets from all around Turkey is cleaned in dust boxes. Then, they are washed in steam pools and trimmed. Later on, they are cut in an appropriate way and combined again.”

He said they were mostly evaluating the old carpets that were popular in recent years. “We especially sell them to tourists from South American countries. We also produce bags, wall decorations and prayer rugs using these carpets. Each square meter of these carpets is sold for between $100-300. Carpets are the first thing that comes to mind as a souvenir in Cappadocia. Our women have been weaving carpets for centuries in this region. And these carpets are really famous. The Yahyalı, Taşpınar, Bünyan, Avanos and Ürgüp carpets are the best known ones. The carpet sector is one of the biggest sectors in Cappadocia and the Ürgüp region. We are trying to keep it alive.”