Large Antique ‘Baklava’ Eye-Dazzler Kilim, Turkey (c. 1860)

Though a riot of colors when it woven in the middle of 19th century, this antique kilim from Turkey has mellowed substantially over time. Today, its dynamic geometric composition is muted and chalky despite the abundance of polychromatic accents.

A Grounded Rug with a Celestial Halo

The rug’s composition centers on eight serrated diamonds stacked in two parallel columns that run the length of the rug. A colorful halo surrounds each medallion, colliding with neighboring starbursts as they radiate softly outward.

A Common Visual Heritage Navajo Weavings

This composition is echoed in the Diné (Navajo) eye-dazzler motifs of the later nineteenth century, yet its format is Anatolian through and through. The central motif is a so-called baklava design, owing to its resemblance to the Middle Eastern pastry painstakingly assembled of layered phyllo dough and crushed nuts. In this design, “elementary rhombuses… form concentric diamond medallions built through colour variation” (Tuna, From Myth to Art: Anatolian Kilims, 2022, p. 90-93).

The all-wool field presents a dazzling array of geometric blocks in salmon pink, cherry red, cream, purple-brown, green, and faded denim blue.

The rug is arranged without a border. Each major band is separated by a procession of hook (çengel) motifs—a symbol invoked to break the power of the evil eye—encased in small cartouches. The rug is crowned at either end with an interlocking vine border.

Rooted in Anatolia

The rug is typical of 19th-century weavings from south central Anatolia, the imperium of the Greek and Roman worlds (e.g., as Lydia or Asia Minor) before becoming the adoptive homeland of the Seljuk Turks and later Mongols during their westward expansions.

The rug therefore inherits a rich tradition. It was woven in the late Ottoman period, likely in the outer regions of today’s Konya Province, areas where its diamond-shaped ‘baklava’ medallion is most commonly encoutnered (Petsopoulos, Kilims: Flat-woven Tapestry Rugs, 1979, p. 92-94). The Taurus Mountain village of Mut in particular is known among scholars for its serrated diamond kilims in “very simple bold designs executed in brilliant and contrasting colors against a bright tomato-red ground” (Petsopoulos, Kilims: Flat-woven Tapestry Rugs, 1979, p. 88 and Hull and Luczyc-Wyhowska, Kilim: The Complete Guide, 1993, p. 167-68).  

Owing to its age, the rug’s weaving coincided with the tanzimat (lit., “reorganization”), a mid-19th-century reform effort undertaken by the Ottoman court to keep pace with accelerating development paradigms in Europe. Under this system, the empire engaged in large-scale military restructuring and social reforms. Among other things, this process guaranteed the rights of religious and ethnic minorities, an important—but sadly imperfect—codification of religious tolerance in the greater Middle East in the pre-modern period.  

Condition and Use

The rug is in fair condition. Some old repairs are present, including areas of brown wool repaired due to earlier corrosion, a common fate of wool dyed in dark colors. However, the rug remains in good, usable condition.

It will withstand normal floor use. However, because of its tapestry weave technique and the profusion of ‘slits' between sections of different color, it is not recommended for use in areas where heavy traffic or the movement of furniture are regularly expected.