Cicim (or Jijim)

Cicim is a napless (pileless) type of weaving, used in displays, covers or drapes, created by applying coloured yarns onto bezayağı weavings or by attaching narrow and long pieces of woven carpets together with different techniques.

This is a weaving known to Turks since old times. Today, cicim is woven in almost all carpet and rug weaving centres in Anatolia. 

Although different in weaving techniques in Anatolia, some other woven products are also known as 'cicim'.

Finely woven embroidered rugs around Sİnop, Trabzon and Gümüşhane, fine carpets in Elazığ, tülü or bırakmalı weavings in the region of Niğde, Konya, Kayseri and Çorum are referred to as cicim.

Cicim is woven by one or two artists. When two artists are involved, one sits on the front and one at the back. The one at the back wraps the coloured yarns around two or three warps depending on the pattern and passes this to the other weaver. This method is commonly known as stealing (çalma).
The weaver on the front keeps the motifs in good shape and loops over the weft yarn after each pattern line and clenched with a wooden weaving tool (kirkit).

Especially in motifs with horizontal characteristics, each yarn composing the pattern in motifs is cut and started again at the second line.
As the released thread is left hanging, it is scattered and loose. The flat face projects forward during clenching with kirkit and gains an embossed appearance.
Unlike carpets, in such weavings as zili and sumak, the face and reverse sides of the weaving are not flat.

Cicim has three separate technical features per the application of patterns, namely ‘weft and warp faced bezayağı’ (flat weaving), cicim, wrapping motif cicim and warp faced cicim’.

For more information on the history of carpeting and workbenches, quality, patterns and motifs, see Flat Weavings


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