Carpets and carpet weaving in Turkey find their roots in the nomadic peoples of the wider region. Nomads are almost constantly on the move and dwell in tents.
The first village to weave rugs in the Döşemealtı region in southern Turkey, was the village of Kovanlik. The people of Kovanlik descend from the Karakoyunlu (Yörük) Turcoman who were living in the plains in the winters and in the plateaus in the summers. ‘Yoruk’ is the Turkish word for nomad, especially of Turcoman origin. The Yoruk people have woven their rugs in this area since the 15th century.
They have successfully revived the tradition of Anatolian rug weaving using hand-spun, naturally-dyed wool and traditional Turkish designs and motifs.
References
a. For Students: If you Want to Learn More
- Dosemealti Rugs
https://www.abc-oriental-rug.com/dosemealti-oriental-rugs.html - Nomadic women bring to light their 500-year-old heritage
https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/yasam/yoruk-kadinlari-500-yillik-mirasi-gun-yuzune-cikariyor/1475646# - Thousands of handwoven carpets are left under the sun in Turkey to soften their colour and increase their value
http://www.dosemealti.bel.tr/tr/m/haberler/dosemealtinin-hali-tarlalari-dunya-basininda.html
b. Visual Sources
- https://www.turkiyeturizm.com/yoruk-kadinlarinin-dokudugu-dosemealti-halisi-tescillendi-66642h.htm
- https://www.trthaber.com/haber/kultur-sanat/yoruk-kulturunun-mirasi-hali-dokumaciligini-teknolojiye-inat-yasatiyor-382327.html
- http://www.dosemealti.bel.tr/tr/m/haberler/dosemealtinin-hali-tarlalari-dunya-basininda.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RHihFY7AAo&ab_channel=FRANCE24English
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pOLpyUHeeM
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy4KhqyJg5s
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UhYIP1Ecvw
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3AQ1OSiM1I
c. Other Sources
- Sustainability of Handwoven Carpets in Turkey: The Importance of Technical Distinctions Between Regional Carpet Styles: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1337&context=tsaconf
- Carpet weaving around the world in museum collections:https://carpets.museumwnf.org/collection
- History of Turkish Carpets, Rugs and Kilims:https://istanbulclues.com/turkish-carpets-history/
