Zili Runner

This Turkish flatwoven zili runner is woven using a system of weft wrapping to create a network of colorful eight-pointed stars drawn with in a lattice. This type of weaving is characteristic of the settled Turkmen of the Afyon region of western Anatolia. Colors are soft and diverse with particularly successful aubergine and olive green tones. Flatwoven pieces such as this represent an ancient weaving tradition that can be traced back centuries in Anatolia. The geometric designs created by the zili flatwoven technique were soon transferred to pile weavings most likely inspiring early Turkish pile weaving. These geometric patterns were retained in both flatwoven and pile weaving traditions and survived well into the 19th and 20th centuries in Anatolian village and tribal weavings.