DÖŞEMEALTİ RUGS

Döşemealti rugs are woven by the Karakoyunlu Tribe living around Serik, Manavgat, in Anamas plains and on the skirts of Taurus Mountains in Döşeme Plains, which is also called Döşemealti, around Antalya. Kovanlik and Aşaği Oba are two central villages for carpet weaving.

Referred to by the public also as 'Kovanlik Rugs', these rugs are made of woollen materials.

The wool is span into yarns with the spindle and woven in the Turkish knot technique on edgers and slant weaving looms, called ‘istar’. The dominant colours are red, blue, dark blue, green and white.

There are 720 (24 x 30) knots per dm².

In the area, motifs are called su (water) or yaniş.
Notable yaniş motifs are Arabic (çirakman), el (hand), şingir, camel, scorpion, saddlebag water (heybe suyu), knifepoint, hold-down, ball, letter, Mersin leaf ball, hemp seed, çingilli, pillow yaniş, akli su, bücü (English daisy), nacaklisu, captain water (albay suyu), small-ball water and red-ball water. Their application depends on the shape of the rug.  

The periphery of the rug is surrounded by narrow bands and wide belts with cleat, Eli belinde (band on waist) and scorpion motifs.

The rug base is enclosed with a rectangular frame. A rug ornamented with a tree with branches full of bitter orange blooms in its base is called 'branched rug' (dalli). 

Some examples present plant motifs called halos (hale) on a green base and thus referred to by the public as 'halo rugs '(haleli). 

Rugs with a central motif colloquially known as ball (top) are referred to as 'ball rugs' (toplu). The ball motif can be used more than once. 

Rugs generally present an edge section (except only for haleli rugs). The edge section is ornamented with a geometric-type pattern. 

Older examples of Döşemealti rugs are mostly prayer rugs. Today, floor, hall, cushion and bag rugs are also woven.

In addition, there are further types per pattern such as halo (haleli), ball (toplu), star (yildizli), large water (koca sulu), branched (dalli), frontal (mihrapli), scorpion (akrepli), scorpion-branched (akrepli-dalli), cushion-ball (yastik-toplu), ambarli, scale-ball (terazi-toplu), pitcher (ibrikli).

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