Kilim rugs, Kilim carpets
Kilim rugs, Kilim carpets |
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Kilim (also spelt Kelim, Khilim and in Iran, Gelim) is a woven fabric as opposed to a knotted pile rug. The kilim technique produces an extremely hard wearing fabric which has been used by nomadic tribes for many centuries for storage bags, saddlebags as well as practical floor covering. We present a very brief history of kilims at the bottom of the page.
Oriental Rugs Online always stocks a variety of Turkish Kilims and Persian Kilims. Most are modern but we usually have a few antique kilims as well. Kilim designs are traditional, contemporary and sometimes pleasingly quirky!
Turkish Afyon Kilim 
Turkish Nuzumla Kilim 
Persian Qashqai Kilim 
Persian Afshar Kilim Sofreh 
Persian Afshar Kilim Sofreh 
Persian Afshar Kilim Sofreh 
Persian Afshar Kilim Sofreh 
Turkish Malatya Kilim 
Turkish Denizili Kilim 
Turkish Konya Obruk Kilim 
Persian Saltbag Kilim 
Persian Kilim 
Persian Kilim 
Persian Qashqai Kilim 
Persian Qashqai Kilim 
Persian Qashqai Kilim 
Persian Kilim 
Turkish Uzbek Kilim Jajim 
Persian Gouchan Kilim 
Turkish Kilim 
Turkish Hotamis Kilim 
Persian Qashqai Kilim 
Persian Qashqai Kilim 
Persian Qashqai Kilim The oldest record of kilims comes from Catal Hoyuk Neolithic pottery circa 7000 BC, the oldest settlement ever to have been discovered. It is located south east of Konya in the middle of the Anatolian region of Turkey. Thus the kilim weaving technique predates the production of knotted pile rugs by quite some time. The "flatweave" technique was first used to make tents, however they soon started to be used kilims as floor coverings, bags (saddlebags, salt bage, storage bags), bands (for tying and for decoration) and other everyday tribal items.
As kilims were originally made for personal use rather than for sale, the weaver has complete freedom to improvise in the design and use of colours. There are many motifs and symbols which are used, for instance by girls weaving their marriage pieces to give expression to their desire for a good strong husband and many children. Mothers and daughters throughout the middle east (weaving is never done by men) still continue to maintain this tradition today employing many of these old symbols in their designs. Pile rugs, on the other hand tend to conform in their design to tribal tradition.
The results are often quite stunning and are often thought "too good to walk on" which is why these pieces are often used as attractive wall hangings.
Two types of loom have long been used in the making of a traditional kilim. The vertical loom is installed in one place and used by village weavers. The horizontal loom is portable and can be set up in the summer or winter quarters of the nomadic peoples.