Fethiye rugs, Fethiye carpets

Nomadic tradition was kept alive around Fethiye until the recent years, but the mighty rise of the trend of tourism has pulled the nomads into the modern way of life, too. Some of the Fethiye villagers belong to the nomads of Avsar and Karakoyunlu. The former name of the town was Megri, so the women of Fethiye used to weave a kind of carpet that was called a Megri or Makri carpet. We do not have an intact sample that has survived to our day, but it is known to have existed according to records and some remaining pieces. These carpets were decorated with geometrical patterns and plant motifs. They had a color configuration built upon the union of contrasting colors. Red, black, and blue were used frequently.

There is a group of carpets woven in Fethiye today called "rock carpets". They have medallion patterns and they represent a new form of carpets. Their motifs carry traces from the classical Ottoman carpets and Usak carpets. The kilims are woven with the technique of loop configuration. Rhomboids made of little squares and square motifs are prominently used for weavings like prayer rugs and sofa covering kilims.