Old Hereke made of pure silk | 93cm x 61cm | No. 18837

Floral Alter Hereke made of pure silk, golden beige with border

Place of origin

Very valuable silk rugs originate from the Turkish city of Hereke. The tradition was promoted by the art-loving Sultan Abd-ul-Medjid (reigned 1839 - 1861). In 1844, he had the court knotting workshops moved from Cairo back to Hereke. Hand-knotted Hereke silk rugs are among the finest rugs in the world and are knotted with a density of up to 6 million knots per square meter. Thanks to the knotting technique, the pattern is just as clearly visible on the back as on the front. Antique Turkish rugs fetch top prices in renowned art auction houses.

Typical motifs of the Hereke rugs include flowers, twigs and leaves, as well as birds, the tree of life and the so-called Mehrab or Mihrab pattern, a prayer niche depicted together with oil lamps. Besides traditional motifs and typical Ottoman or Turkish patterns, Hereke silk rugs are today knotted with more modern patterns to suit contemporary tastes. The characteristic colors of Hereke silk rugs are deep dark blue, bright red, vivid green, bright yellow and various natural tones in all nuances. This old Hereke is more than 40 years old and a true collector's item.

Patterns

The luxuriant flower motifs of this Hereke are elegant and varied. The graceful vegetative symbols representing flowers, leaves and branches are artfully intertwined.

This Hereke is decorated with the so-called Mehrab or Mihrab motif. Mehrab refers to the Islamic prayer niche in mosques, which shows the direction of prayer qibla, i.e. the direction of Mecca. Traditionally, rugs with the Mehrab motif are used by Muslims for prayer and are therefore particularly treasured.

The edge of the rug is decorated with an edging (border). The border forms a beautiful contrast to the center.

The background of this Hereke is golden beige. The border features rusty red and golden beige.

Condition

This Hereke has a story. It was hand knotted about 1960. We have cleaned it thoroughly and restored it lovingly. Therefore it is in very good condition despite its age.

Material

The silk of the pile of this Hereke allows the colors forming the pattern to shine in different nuances depending on the lighting. It makes this Hereke a real highlight and creates a cozy and at the same time very elegant and premium atmosphere in the room. Silk is manually extracted from the cocoons of the silk moth. Since individual silk threads are extremely long, the result is very thin yarns, which are nevertheless tear-resistant under low stress. Smaller rug knots can be made with this thin yarn, which create finer patterns. Therefore, the finest rugs in the world are hand-knotted made of pure silk. In this Hereke even the background is made of pure silk. Due to the thin but durable material of the weft and warp threads, a particularly fine knotting and, therefore, a particularly fine pattern is feasible.