Writer: Yavuz İşçen
August 2010

While men were involving in pottery in Avanos, women were contributing to production by weaving carpet. It is not an exaggeration if we say that almost all of the women around 70 years old have weaved carpet in Avanos. Carpet weaving, has been transferred from grandmother to granddaughter, and was entering the young girls’ lives as they sit at carpet loom at age of 12 or 13. The carpets, weaved for doweries have had an important role in making famous the carpets of Avanos. Beside the carpets for dower, the ones to be sold have been weaved in cooperation which means all of the women participated in weaving and the carpet come out as a work of collectivity. As this kind of carpet has been sold, the money received was divided equally into the number of women worked for it.

The characteristics of Avanos Carpet
It is written that the weaving carpet has started in Nevşehir around 1700s. There are two areas in the region, known as the center of weaving carpet; these are Ürgüp and Avanos. According to the Konya City Annual of 1905, there were 250 registered carpet looms in Nevşehir. The traditional carpet weaving in Avanos consists of totally wool string in weft, warp loop. The wool used in weaving is provided by trimming the sheep twice a year. The one used in Avanos is delivered from the sheep grass on the skirt of Toros Mountains and Hasan Mountain. The other important characteristic of Avanos carpet is the usage of madder. First of all the wool is turned into string by spinning then dyed by different colors and then used in weaving carpet. Madder is totally natural and is being supplied from nature such as from roots, leaves, flowers, fruits, scabs, seeds and soil. The collected materials are put into water and boiled in big pans. As the boiling finish, the madder is ready. Sometimes, supportive materials are being added while the madder boils.

Avanos Carpetry of today
Today, there are 7 carpet shops in Avanos and two of them are really big. One of the biggest is called Sentez Halı, and the other, located Göreme road, is called Bazaar 54. These two can be also classified as carpet market, which serves to the big tourist groups travelling around by buses. Bazaar 54, opened in 1987, also weaves carpets in its carpet atelier, located on the upper floor of the showroom. And there are 25 or 30 people working in this carpet atelier. Another carpet shop producing carpet like Bazaar 54 is Tokmak Halı, located in downtown. There are others in other village centers such as Kirkit Halı show room in Cumhuriyet square. Kirkit Halı (Carpet), established in 1982, has a special place for us because it has a great Avanos carpet collection on the upper floor of the show room. In addition to them, Cehri Halı, Galeri Yörük and Duru Carpet are the other carpet show rooms found in the down town of Avanos.

Avanos Carpets According to their Motives
The repetition of the motives in traditional carpets enables us to evaluate the carpets in specific groups. The classification in carpets helps us to understand and differentiate the carpets from different parts of Anatolia. The carpet merchants develop a special expertise on this topic. With this approach, the traditional Avanos carpets are classified under six groups; the ones with rectangular motives, with altar motives, with roasted chickpea, Persian type ones, armed potbelly ones and scatter flower ones.

Note: This article has been published in Peribacası Cappadocia Culture and Publicity Magazine, August 2010 issue. It is under protection of the copyrights of the magazine. No part of this article may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by electronic, mechanical or other means without prior permission from the owner. www.cappadociaexplorer.com