Istanbul_ The Collected Traveler_ An Inspired Companion Guide - Barrie Kerper [229]
Kilim: The Complete Guide, by Alastair Hull and Jose Luczyc-Wyhowska (Chronicle, 1993). Hull has traveled extensively in Afghanistan and Iran collecting and studying kilims while Luczyc-Wyhowska opened London’s Kilim Warehouse in 1982 and specializes in the flatweaves of Anatolia. Together they have written what is likely the most authoritative book yet on kilims. The authors explain that Anatolia is also known as Anadolu, which derives from the Turkish ana, meaning “mother,” and dolu, meaning “full,” giving the overall sense of the “fertile mother” or “earth.” Anatolia is used to mean “from, or of, the land or the countryside,” and unlike the kilim culture in Central Asia, Iran, and North Africa, “where weaves are governed, restricted and inspired, more or less, within a tribal environment, that of Anatolia has been embellished by it rich folkloric tradition and diversity of foreign influence.” After the enormous popularity of kilims in the Western world in the 1980s, the output of traditional forms of flatweave is waning, and the authors inform us that, in Anatolia, virtually no old indigenous examples remain. “The village weavers of today do not have the time or inclination to weave a quality kilim, for the faster the weaver can finish her work, the sooner she can sell it and buy a refrigerator or television set for her home. In one village, with no electricity supply, lived a weaver who had bought a refrigerator, proudly placed it in the living room and filled it with all her most precious possessions!”
Timbuktu to Tibet: Exotic Rugs and Textiles from New York Collectors, by Jon Thompson, Thomas Farnham, and Daniel Shaffer (Hajji Baba Club, 2008). This catalog accompanied the exhibit Woven Splendor from Timbuktu to Tibet, shown at the New-York Historical Society in 2008 and at the Textile Museum from October 18, 2008 to March 8, 2009. The exhibit was organized to celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Hajji Baba Club, the oldest and most prestigious rug-collecting club in the U.S. (Note: this club is not the same as the International Hajji Baba Society.) According to the Hajji Baba Web site (hajjibaba.org), the rug craze began in the U.S. in the late eighteenth century; initially, all rugs, no matter their origin, were referred to as “Turkey carpitts.” This exhibition catalog beautifully reproduces the approximately seventy-five rugs, costumes, and other textiles featured in the exhibit that currently belong to club members.
Turkey: The Rug Guide, by Anthony Hazeldine, John Mills, John Carswell, Andrew Finkel, and John Scott (Hali, 2005). Though this little paperback (approximately 5½ × 8 inches) is not completely current, it’s terrific, and I highly recommend it. Not only is the information about Turkish weavings—from all over the country—factual and interesting, the book also includes chapters on museums, hotels, and restaurants. The book is packed with color photographs and maps and is slim enough to fit in a handbag. It’s not available in North America but can be ordered direct from Hali magazine or online retailers.
The world of Near and Far Eastern weavings is large. Here are just a few rug organizations and resources to know about:
The Armenian Rugs Society (650 343 8585 / armenian rugssociety.com)
The American Conference on Oriental Rugs (acor-rugs.org)
Hali: Carpet, Textile and Islamic Art is the leading international periodical in its field. Hali is the modern Turkish word for “carpet” or “rug” and was written as kālī in Ottoman Turkish script until the late nineteenth century, as it was written in classical Persian and remains in modern Persian. The magazine has been described as “the