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In recent years, demand for kilims (flatwoven textiles) in the West has reached unprecedented levels. Kilim: The Complete Guide unravels the complex questions surrounding the origins and history of these unique flatweaves and of the peoples who make them. Hundreds of illustrations, many in colour and many specially taken, show them in all their glory. A detailed account of techniques - materials, dyes and dyeing, tools, kilim structures and weaving - is followed by a systematic analysis of motifs and symbolism. Here, the complex relationship between Islam and the animistic or shamanistic traditions that preceded it is explored. The core of the book is devoted to the specific characteristics of region, tribe and kilim type. Four major sections present much original research, fully informing the reader about kilims from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia; Anatolia; Persia and the Caucasus; and Afghanistan and Central Asia. Chapters on new kilims and the use of kilims as bags or trappings as well as rugs - together with a reference guide to collecting, care and further study, conclude what has become the standard work on this widely appealing subject.
List of contents
1. Introduction • 2. Making Kilims • 3. Motifs and Symbolism • 4. North Africa 5. Anatolia • 6. Persia and the Caucasus • 7. Afghanistan and Central Asia • 8. A Kilim Miscellany • 9. New Kilims • 10. Collecting Kilims • 11. Caring for Kilims • Glossary; Bibliography; Dealers, Sources and Services; International Auction Houses; Sources
About the author
Alastair Hull has collected and studied kilims for more than twenty-five years.
Summary
In recent years, demand for kilims (flatwoven textiles) in the West has reached unprecedented levels. Kilim: The Complete Guide unravels the complex questions surrounding the origins and history of these unique flatweaves and of the peoples who make them. Hundreds of illustrations, many in colour and many specially taken, show them in all their glory. A detailed account of techniques - materials, dyes and dyeing, tools, kilim structures and weaving - is followed by a systematic analysis of motifs and symbolism. Here, the complex relationship between Islam and the animistic or shamanistic traditions that preceded it is explored.
The core of the book is devoted to the specific characteristics of region, tribe and kilim type. Four major sections present much original research, fully informing the reader about kilims from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia; Anatolia; Persia and the Caucasus; and Afghanistan and Central Asia. Chapters on new kilims and the use of kilims as bags or trappings as well as rugs - together with a reference guide to collecting, care and further study, conclude what has become the standard work on this widely appealing subject.
