Steve Price

Hi Hakan

First, my thanks for producing this very interesting essay.

In the section about Ketenli, one of the passages that caught my eye is
The question of the historical origin of the rugs is interesting. Have they been produced in the area since Neolithic times, or were they introduced by Horasan Turkmen?

The wording implies that there are only two plausible sources: invention during the Neolithic or arrival with the Seljuks. I can think of many other possibilities; invention during the millennia between the Neolithic era and the Seljuk conquest, for example. Is there archeological evidence that narrows the possible origins?

Regards.

Steve Price

Hakan Tazecan

Dear Steve

l can only answer your question this way on Central Anatolia and at Toros Mountains many people and many civilisations lived together thay did layels of civilisations to understand the meaning of TURK and TURKISH Art you must start to weave a rug as motives put many different motives finish the rug and you name this rug as TURKISH RUG so origins of those textiles is some way they start neolithic ages continue with seljuks and reach today

all the best

hakan

Steve Price

Hi Hakan

Is there any evidence that there was Neolithic weaving of any kind? The reports of Bronze Age kilim weaving around Catal Huyuk led to 18th and 19th century kilims being promoted as having ancient roots, but the evidence on which those reports were based have been pretty conclusively shown to be fraudulent.

Regards

Steve Price

Hakan Tazecan

Dear steve
the rugs history goes paralel with evolition of humanbeing when people use to live in caves they were hunting animals and later on they learn how tu use their furs so in neolithic ages they left the caves they built early villiges they started to copy animal furs and the did tick yatak (bed ) rugs . Konya province in the world one of the most important neolithic center thats why olmost every town has its own style what rich center. when we talk local weavers they dont know why they always make the same patterns they say they learn them from their grandmothers and they continue weaving at the some time they are lralated with mitologia and re incarnation hakan

Steve Price

Hi Hakan

I think I understand. Yataks (and julkhyrs) are widely believed to have been woven as sort of artificial animal fur, and I suspect that this is true. But for awhile I thought you were saying that they were being woven in Neolithic times. I understand, too, that weaving traditions get handed down over generations and nobody really knows their origins. It makes sense that there is little variability in the output of a small, fairly isolated region.

Thanks.

Steve Price

Hakan Tazecan

dear Steve
l wish you or rug lovers they can have a chance to visit the area. if you see the ceographic situation of the are there are hundreds of caves even used in paleolithic periods later on people of the province they found world more safe they left the caves and built early viliges they learn how to weave and first thing they did to copy the animal furs later on artistic feelings made them to use motives and patters the desings you see on rugs you see on pots and wall paintings and graves. in anatolia old times you born on a rug and you die on the rug all the anatolian kelims and rugs are coffins at the sometime while l was traveling at toros region l stop at a villige there was a old man from sacıkara nomads he told me that he has a little time for his future and he said that he was poor his mother didnt produce him a rug so he will die without having a rug that they can put him in and bring to mosque. one of my future artickels can be archaeology and petters on the handwoven textiles than you can see more connections with neolithic period even today . the other thing You must know whenTurks come anatolia they come with yurts they buit their obas next to other anatoian villages and in time being the mix with them thats why Turkey is so rich in cultures