Learn the language of carpets.
Every motif is a word and every pattern a sentence. Explore the symbols Anatolian weavers have used for centuries, learn what colors say, and “write” a carpet of your own.
The information and motif interpretations in this section are based on İsrafil Öncel’s book, How to Read a Turkish Carpet.
Knot & color
The smallest units of a carpet.
Motif
A single symbol that carries meaning.
Pattern
Organizes motifs with rhythm and symmetry.
Carpet
A whole story you can read.
22 words of Anatolia.
The motifs and drawings follow the order of Chapter Two of the book. The drawings are archetypal forms simplified from academic sources rather than copies of any single carpet; in real carpets each motif varies by region, tribe and weaver. Treat these as traditional readings rather than fixed rules; truly reading a carpet means reading its context too.
Colors speak too.
Traditionally obtained from natural sources such as madder, indigo, weld and walnut husks, colors help shape and strengthen the visual language of a carpet. However, colors in Turkish carpets do not have one fixed or universal meaning. Their associations may vary according to region, period, community, motif and context. The descriptions below present broad cultural associations rather than a definitive code.
Turkish carpets contain a much wider range of colors, tones and shades than the seven shown here. These seven colors have been selected as an introduction because they appear frequently across Anatolian weaving traditions and carry widely recognized cultural associations. They represent a starting point rather than a complete palette.
These associations are not fixed definitions. A color’s role and meaning may change according to the carpet’s origin, period, design, materials and cultural context.
Further reading on color symbolism in Turkish carpets:
Weave your own sentence.
Pick up to five of the book’s 22 motifs and a ground color, and we’ll read what your carpet says.
1. Choose motifs
2. Ground color
Turkish name: