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DiptI NAIR
Doha
ANYONE with as much as a passing fancy for carpets knows Turkish carpets and the fame associated with them. But did you know that it is the small Turkish town of Hereke that claims to have the 'world's best' carpets?
An exhibition featuring some of the best masterpieces from this little coastal town is currently running at the Gate Mall. The Hereke Exhibition has been brought to Qatar by Salam International Investment Ltd through a collaboration with Han Hali- Turkey's leading production house of Hereke carpets.
Han Hali's Senior Weaver Suheyla Sari Yoldas is at the exhibition where she not only talks to visitors about Hereke carpets but also demonstrates the techniques of weaving a Hereke carpet.
Hereke, which takes its name from Herakles or Hercules, is a coastal town that lies halfway between Istanbul and Izmit. The town was established centuries ago by the Ottoman emperors as a production centre for silk carpets.
"While hand-weaving was common here earlier, you can say the real carpet heritage came to Hereke with the establishment of the Hereke Carpet Factory in 1843," said Yoldas."In those days the carpets were made exclusively for the Ottoman palaces. Later, they began to be given as gifts to royal families and heads of states. Now there are Hereke carpets in some of the most famous landmarks around the world like the White House and the Buckingham Palace."
Yoldas says that genuine Hereke carpets are made only in Turkey and they differ from other carpets in their quality, technique and materials used.
"Hereke carpets are 100 percent handmade. They are constructed using the Turkish double knot. Also, the preparation of the loom in Hereke carpet is different from other techniques worldwide. Thirdly, only the finest silk from Bursa is used in these carpets. The light reflections on these carpets makes the colours look different from one side it looks shiny while from the other it looks darker," she said.
The colour change noticed on the surface of the silk is from the piles made with Turkish double knots. Hereke carpets have over 500 double knots per sq inch, which is almost a million knots per sq metre. This is considered one of the most difficult of handworks and is one of the reasons these carpets are considered fine art.
Yoldas says that depending on the size of the carpet, it can take up to six years to make a single carpet.
"The difficulty is in the knots. It is a painstaking work that has to be done with precision to get the design right. Usually one person works on a carpet but if there is urgency, another person may assist. In this case, a carpet that takes six years will only take three years. But only one person, the master weaver, will cut it and it is his/her signature that the carpet will carry. The others can only assist to speed things up," she said.
Yoldas first found herself interested in carpets at the age of 10. She wove her first carpet at the age of 15.
"Many years ago, my family was into carpet weaving and though no one in my family practised it as a career, we were always weaving carpets in our house when I was young. That is how I realised that I love carpets especially the silk. Also, its history fascinated me. So, after completing my university education, I joined Han Hali."
Yoldas, a master weaver, says that carpet-weaving transports her into another world and calms her mind. At the expo, she is weaving a small carpet with the design of 'Flowers of the Seven Hills'. It is a classic pattern with clusters emphasising the number seven, symbolising the seven primary colours, the seven days of the week, the seven heavens, seven sins and seven energy centres of the body.
Each of the patterns woven into carpets has a significance. And while each carpet might differ slightly in pattern, most are based on traditional designs. The most common patterns are the classic Hereke designs like 'Thousands of flowers', 'Tulip garden', 'Eye of nightingale', among others.
One of the extraordinary exhibits at the exhibition is an exact replica of the famous Pazirik carpet. This 2,500 year old carpet is the world's oldest hand-woven carpet and was recovered during an excavation at the Pazirik Valley in Siberia in 1949. The original carpet is now on display at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. This carpet was made using Turkish double knots and could be the only reason it survived for so many years.
Producing a Hereke carpet requires a lot of time, patience, expertise and passion. The intricate designs on these carpets, created with finesse makes these carpets true masterpieces and at prices that start upwards of $2,000, they make a worthwhile investment. While a carpet's function is to be on the floor, these works of art deserve a place on your wall as tapestry. Take good care of your Hereke carpet as these durable carpets will surely outlive you.
The Hereke Exhibition at The Gate Mall's Maysaloun Hall will run till January 31.
[Cover Photo: Suheyla Sari Yoldas demonstrates carpet weaving at The Hereke Exhibition.
(JALAL PATHIYOOR) ]
