Posted by saul yale barodofsky on December 07, 1998 at 16:39:17:
Dear Steve,
many thanks for offering your tulus for comment.
So, here are a couple of comments:
1. these are sometimes called "hospitality" rugs in Konya region - they are also made in Obruk village (in addition to Karapinar).
I have been offered them to sit on when I visited village homes. I was also told that they were used as childrens blankets. Seems that like all other nomadic/village weavings they have more than one purpose.
2. They are often confused with Baddanni - the Kurdish long sleeping carpets from S.E. Turkey - Adiaman region. However they are very dis-similar. The Baddani have long unspun sheeps wool and this group of Tulus use Angora (Mohair) also long and unspun, on wool.
3. The pictures show just one of the many groups of Tulus - all from Konya region.
4. The first book to be published on Tulus was by George O'Bannon - TULU: Traditional 20th Century Pelt - Like Rugs from Central Anatolia (1987). George still has a few left if anyone is interested. This was an exhibition catalogue - the information is still interesting. There were two exhibitions. One at Georges gallery in Philadelphia, and the other at our gallery in Charlottesville, Virginia.
5. Forgive my correction, but if one is referring to the TULU Saddle Cover in the Arizona Collections book, the saddle cover is not a Tulu, even though it does have some Angora-Mohair felted into the back of the saddle cover. Seems it takes "more than Angora to a Tulu make."
all best saul