Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-02-06
Turkish Rings and Carpets.
BY oSCANYAN.

BY osCANYAN.
From Harpers Bazar
OF late Oriental rugs and carpets have nj.
tracted the attention OF the refined, and are
likely to prove lasting favorites for many rea-
sons, among which are their general utility and
beauty, richness In colors oddly and popularity
Of design, and durability
hugs and carpets are manufactured all over
the east; even Africa comes i'm for her share.
but we Will confine our observations at present
10 the production OF those articles in Turkey
proper
There are five species OF rups and carne,s
woven IN turkey. known by the respective To-
callties where they are produced viz: Koola.
nshak, Geordez or Ghiordes, Kurdish and
Koola is a district in Asia Minor. not far from
smyrna. Its inhabitants are the descendants of
the early Turcoman settlers, known as the Yu-
ruks, who, preserving TO this dav their nomadic
character, lead a roaming life and devote them
selves tosheep grazing. Owing to their patri-
archal habltude> rugs have become an article OF
great use and advantage in their tents and nuts
They are made by the women, especially by the
young maidens, who consider it their peroga-
tive To manufacture one at least as their dover
prior TO their marriage, and are on that account
careful in their manufacture, and endeayor 10
display as much taste in design and In the com.
binatlon OF colors as possible.
In the nrst place the wool is carefully washed,
dried and carded, and then drawn into warn
sometimes twisted, the rest is left loose like
German wool; il is then dyed. The dye-stuffs
are prepared by the women themselves. and the
brilliancy of the hues is said to be attributable
to the peculiar nature Of the water and the ef.
fect OF the climate In the process of driving The
twisted yarn used Tor warp, that is the threads
that run longtudinally( hence the reason for its
being twisted, in Ordtheto give ii strength sui.
hcient to support tension). These threads are
position. at an angle of forty-five degrees SO as
TO enable the operator to reach them with ease
The operator sits or stands before the loom ac-
cording TO the size and progress OF the work.
j no
the cross threads which pass between and across
each thread Of the warp alternately. In ordinary
cloth weaving the woof is thrown across with a
shuttle, but in experimenting this is impossi.
bic, on account OF the immense width and the
constant change required by the colOrs. The
thread OF the wool is therefore wound on short
sticks and passed by the hand between the
waro, and drawn up with the fingers in TUFTS of
sufficient length to produce fluffy surface and
in various colors, according to the requirements
OF the pattern. When the row has been com.
peted, The warp is, by an arrangement, made
TO change POSITIONS, each alternate warn being
drawn apart, The upper tier sinking and the
lower tier rising, forming lock-stitch: then an
instrument called tdrrak, or comb, is pressed
with force against the wool, which sets ii firmly
in its place. The tufts that have been drawn up
are now cut and trimmed with scissors and
made even, after which the next row Of wool is
laid in the same manner.
In laying out the design the workers copy no
pattern, but follow their own judgment. Young
girls acquire such deXferity and skill in thu,
work that their hands and eyes are soon trained
TO do it with ease and rapidly.
These rugs and carpets are OF one piece no
matter as to size; they can even be made TO
order to suit an American parlor or dining.
room, with borders to tit the APARTMENT in
Guiding the fireplace. The people of Koola are,
however, chleny engaged in manufacturing
rugs TO serve their own purposes or to supply
the market These rugs are OF two kinds and of
aud the other seddjaade. The first is used tor
devotional purposes, and Is therefore known as
the prayer rug, and the second for domestic
use. The ndmdzkidh bears in its center a design
niche which is no
Mohammedan altar. This center piece has at
one end OF the design the form OF a sharp arch,
and Is straight at the base, while the center of
the seddjddde is alike at both ends. The larger
carpets are manufactured at Ushak.
far from Smyrna. 1t is noted for its carpets.
which are a speciality with the people of that
place. although rugs are also made there The
kOOla. They are Of better quality, heavier
In texture, and more closely woven. They differ
also in hues. The prevailing colors employed
in the kOOla rugs are red, green, yellow brown
and white, tremendously blended giving them
a bright and cheerful aspect, while the carpets
and dark red prevailing, have sombre appear
aEce.
Owing to their many good qualities, such as
being seamless, their durability, and their
softly yielding buoyancy, so pleasant to the
tread, these carpets have always commanded O
good market everywhere, particularly at Con-
stantinople and Smyrna, where large sizes are
required to cover the floors Of the drawing
rooms of the grandees and those of the mosques.
uc luudOisautS Vi OSu6k seem capaOlc Oh man
ufacturing amy size entire, il they only had
proper conveyances Or mode Of transportation.
When very large, they are woven in halves and
quarters, and Joined after they reach their des-
tination. The carpet on the floor OF the East
Room at the White House was manufactured
at Ushak, and is the gilt Of the Turkish govern
ment. 1t is q beautiful piece of work; the only
defect is in the pattern, which is more Euro
pean than Oriental, the Turks being under the
impression that the European design would be
more congeniai to American taste, well as
being instigated by desire TO evince their
ability to initiate any design besides their own.
These carpets are very thick. and being closely
woven, wear well. I had one OF these carpets In
my own house, and after using IL for twelve
years sold il for more than L gave, nOtwith-
standing that a large pan OF ignited charcoal
had been upset upon it
Europe, and recently America, having be-
come cognizant OF their merit, there is now q
large trade in these commodities. They are
largely known to commerce under the name of
port OF export OF Ushak, they are forwarded
thither, whereas not q yard is manufactured at
Smyrna
Considering the immense quantity Of these
articles produced annually, one might be led to
suppose that there must be vast establishments
for their manufacture. Nevertheless, there are
no special factories; the demand has converted
into a factory. Formerly Ii was the sole prerog-
alive OF the young girls and women 10 weave
rugs and carpets, but now the men have also
embarked In the enterprise.
Kurdish Rugs.-The mountains Of Armenia
and those of AesOpotamia are inhabited by q
tribe Of rude people known rs the Kurds. These
also being graxiers. nave abundance OF wool in
their hands, which they convert into rugs both
1or domestic use ana foreign marketS. Their