Court Kilim from the Ulu Mosque in Divrigi

In "Great Carpets of the World" Susan Day describes this as "Kilim woven in continuous piece, from the Ulu Mosque in Divrigi (Sivas). 17th century. Flatwoven wool, 4.33 x 1.42 m. Vakiflar Museum, Istanbul. This rug belongs to a group of flatweaves made by Egyptian artisans either in Turkey or in Anatolia, working from designs prepared for the Ottoman court. which means that they were most likely commissioned by the court or by a member of the ruling class. They were used in tents during battle campaigns Journey;s or feasts. In both design and technique, the rugs differ quite radically from other variety of kilim." page 357.

In the mid 1970s Dr. Mae Beattie identified a rare type of kilim that she identified in the Ulu Mosque in Divrigi (Sivas). I have not located a copy of "M.H. Beattie, 'Some Rugs of the Konya Region', Oriental Art, XVII (1976): pp. 60-76." but the article is so frequently cited it is not hard to figure out what she wrote. Anyway I think this is one of those Kilims. I note that Susan Day wrote "made by Egyptian artisans either in Turkey or in Anatolia". I suggest that this must mean that Beattie found S spun wool instead of Z spun indicating Egyptian work rather than Anatolian. I find it frustrating that Day did not offer citations but I am glad to have found this image at all.

Poppy Iris Roundel

Here we have a Poppy Iris Roundel bracketed top and bottom with Iris blossums on stems. the Iris flower grows wild throughout the land occupied by the Mamluk Empire.