Karakechili

This classic Karakechili was woven in the vicinity of Bergama in Northwest Turkey close to the Aegean coast. Ottoman policy of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was responsible for the resettlement of various semi-nomadic tribes from the interior of Anatolia to this region. Consequently, these weavings reflect a more distinctly tribal Turkish aesthetic with a pronounced and adept use of latch-hook designs and playfulness with negative space. The cartouche main border of this piece is traceable to so-called “Transylvanian” types of the seventeenth century, which themselves were woven in coastal Western Turkey. The rendition of the layered medallion of this piece, however, and the intricate geometric coils that both render and surround it are distinctively Karakechili and in keeping with the traditions of Anatolian tribal weaving.