Turkish housewives revive kilim-weaving tradition

Housewives in the Datca districti of Mugla are attending carpet-weaving workshops sponsored by the Public Education Centre where they are reviving the centuries-old art of weaving traditional Turkish carpets, known as kilims.

The workshops started seven years ago, and allow housewives opportunities to socialize while contributing to their household income.  Traditionally, Kilim-weaving has been a symbol of women expressing their Anatolian culture, their every thought about life.   It follows, then, that the designs express whether or not the woman was married, her level of happiness, and hopes and dreams.

Many of the kilims found for sale in Turkey today are machine-made, or made elsewhere.  So, if you want home-made Turkish, do your research before you buy.  The hand-made kilims are sold for between 150 to 200 lira and, if you aren’t informed, you could pay the same – or more – for a machine made kilim.