Kilim

"Kelim" redirects here. For the Mishnaic tractate, seeKeilim.For the use of the term in Kabbalah, seeOhr.

Hotamis Kilim (detail), centralAnatolia,early 19th century

Akilim(Persian:گلیمgilīmAzerbaijani:kilimکیلیم;Turkish:kilim;Turkmen:kilim) is a flattapestry-wovencarpetor rug traditionally produced in countries of the formerPersian Empire,includingIran,but also in theBalkansand the Turkic countries. Kilims can be purely decorative or can function asprayer rugs.Modern kilims are popular floor coverings in Western households.

Etymology

The word 'kilim' originates from thePersiangalīm(گلیم) where it means 'to spread roughly',perhaps ofAkkadianorArameanorigin.

History

Gilim Iran museum

Modern galim

Likepilecarpets, kilim have been produced since ancient times. The explorerMark Aurel Steinfound kilims dating to at least the fourth or fifth century CE inHotan,China:

"As kilims are much less durable than rugs that have a pile to protect thewarp and weft,it is not surprising that few of great age remain.... Theweaveis almost identical with that of modern kilims, and has about fourteen threads of warp and sixteen threads of weft to the inch. The pattern consists of narrow stripes of blue, green, brownish yellow, and red, containing very small geometric designs. With this one exception, so peculiarly preserved, there are probably very few over a century old. "

Weaving technique

Diagram of kilim slit weave technique, showing how the weft threads of each color are wound back from the color boundary, leaving a slit

Kilims are produced by tightly interweaving thewarpandweftstrands of the weave to produce a flat surface with no pile. Kilim weaves are tapestry weaves, technically weft-faced plain weaves, that is, the horizontal weft strands are pulled tightly downward so that they hide the vertical warp strands.

Turkish kilim, folded to show slits between different coloured areas

When the end of a color boundary is reached, the weft yarn is wound back from the boundary point. Thus, if the boundary of a field is a straight vertical line, a vertical slit forms between the two different color areas where they meet. For this reason, most kilims can be classed as "slit woven" textiles. The slits are beloved by collectors, as they produce very sharp-etched designs, emphasizing thegeometry of the weave.Weaving strategies for avoiding slit formation, such as interlocking, produce a more blurred design image.

The weft strands, which carry the visible design and color, are almost always wool, whereas the hidden warp strands can be either wool or cotton. The warp strands are only visible at the ends, where they emerge as the fringe. This fringe is usually tied in bunches, to ensure against loosening or unraveling of the weave.

Motifs

Main article:Kilim motifs

Detail of a Turkish kilim, illustrating usage of severalkilim motifs

Many motifs are used in Turkish kilims, each with many variations. A few examples are illustrated here, with meanings as described by Güran Erbek inKilim.A widely used motif is theelibelinde,a stylized female figure representing motherhood andfertility.Other motifs express the tribal weavers' desires for protection of their families' flocks fromwolveswith the wolf's mouth or the wolf's foot motif (Turkish:Kurt Aǧzi,Kurt İzi), or for safety from the sting of thescorpion(Turkish:Akrep). Several motifs hope for the safety of the weaver's family from theevil eye(Turkish:Nazarlık,also used as a motif), which could be divided into four with a cross symbol (Turkish:Haç), or averted with the symbol of a hook (Turkish:Çengel), a human eye (Turkish:Göz), or anamulet(Turkish:Muska;often, a triangular package containing a sacred verse).Such an amulet woven into a rug is not a picture of the thing itself: it actually is an amulet, believed to confer protection by its presence.

Other motifs symbolise fertility, as with thetrousseau chestmotif (Turkish:Sandıklı), or the explicit fertility (Turkish:Bereket,[beɾeket]) motif. The motif for running water (Turkish:Su Yolu) similarly depicts the resource literally. The desire to tie a family or lovers together may be depicted with afettermotif (Turkish:Bukaǧı). Several other motifs represent the desire for good luck and happiness, as for instance the bird (Turkish:Kuş) and the star orSolomon's seal(Turkish:Yıldız). The oriental symbol ofyin and yangis used for love and unison (Turkish:Aşk ve Birleşim).

• 
  Hands-on-hips female figure (Elibelinde), for motherhood andfertility
• 
  Eye (Göz), to ward off theevil eye
• 
  Amulet(Muska), for protection and good luck
• 
  Wolf's Mouth (Kurt Aǧzi), to protect the flocks against wolves
• 
  Scorpion(Akrep), for protection from their stings

Rugs and commerce

A typicalPirot kilimfromSerbia

Late 19th century Awar kilim from theCaucasus.An unusually simple and bold design.

Because kilims are often cheaper than pile rugs, beginning carpet collectors often start with them. Despite what many perceive as their secondary (or inferior) status to pile carpets, kilims have become increasingly collectible in themselves in recent years, with quality pieces now commanding high prices. What some sensed as inferiority was actually a different nature of rugs woven for indigenous use as opposed to rugs woven on a strictly commercial basis. Because kilims were not a major export commodity, there were no foreign market pressures changing the designs, as happened with pile carpets. Once collectors began to value authentic village weaving, kilims became popular. Three factors then combined to reduce the quality of the West's newly discovered kilims. The first was a development in industrial chemistry. An important element in the attractiveness of traditional rugs isabrash,the dappled appearance resulting from variation in shade of each colour caused by hand-dyeing of the yarn. The synthetic (aniline-derived) dyes introduced late in theVictorian eraabolished abrash, giving brilliant colours which however often faded with time. A second factor was the loss of thenomadicway of life across Central Asia. Once people had settled, the tribal character of their weavings faded. A third factor was a direct consequence of the kilim's new-found marketability. As rugs began to be made for export and money rather than personal use, the local style and social significance of each type of carpet was lost. Patterns and colours were chosen to suit the market, rather than woven according to tradition and to suit the needs of the weaver's family and the weaver's own hopes and fears.

Anatolian (Turkish)

Perhaps the best known and most highly regarded, these kilims are traditionally distinguished by the areas, villages or cities in which they are produced, such asKonya,Malatya,Karapınarand Hotamis. Most Anatolian kilims are slit woven. Larger antique kilims were woven in two to three separate sections on small nomadic horizontal floor looms in three feet wide long strips, then carefully sewn together matching the patterns edges to create an ultimately wider rug. These pieces are still produced in very limited quantities by nomadic tribes for their personal use and are commonly known ascicims.

• CicimorJijimorJajimare kilims woven in narrow strips that are sewn together.
• Ziliis a rough supplementary-weft method used to decorate practical objects such as mats, sacks, cushions and tents.

See also

• Jajim,similar to a Kilim but more like a blanket
• Anatolian rug
• Chiprovtsi kilim
• Pirot kilim
• Neiriz Kilim Collection

Further reading

• Allane, Lee (1988).Oriental Rugs: A Buyer's Guide.Thames & Hudson.ISBN0-500-27517-3.
• Davies, Peter (2000) [1993].Antique kilims of Anatolia.W.W. Norton & Co.ISBN978-0-393-73047-0.(The first edition was published by Rizzoli asThe Tribal Eye: Antique kilims of Anatolia,ISBN978-0-8478-1705-4)
• Landreau, Anthony N.; Pickering, W. R. (1969).From the Bosporus to Samarkand Flat-Woven Rugs. The Textile Museum, George Washington University.
• Mackie, Louise; Thompson, Jon (1980).Turkmen: Tribal Carpets and Traditions.The Textile Museum, George Washington University.
• Petsopoulos, Yanni (1979).Kilims: Flat Woven Tapestry Rugs.Rizzoli.ISBN0-8478-0245-0.

External links

• Weaving Art Museum: Soumak and Kelim Weaving of the Caucasus