What is Kilim?

Kilim is a kind of flat-woven durable handicraft employed by settled and nomadic families for a plenty of uses, primarily but not exclusively for covering the floors and furnishing the interior of dwellings or in some places as rug saddlebags.

Kilim is a term used in Turkish speaking parts of West Asia for tapestry-woven textiles, also referred to as Gelim in the Persian speaking parts of West Asia especially in Iran, but it’s a craft that also exists among the the people of eastern Europe, Northern Africa and Central Asia.

History of this beautiful art dates back to ancient times. A large body of surviving Persian Kilims today consists of the so-called tribal Kilims woven by women in nomadic encampments or homes in villages and towns who have an eye for design and a great sense of colour.

Kilims are prized for their rich color, diverse designs, their masterfully controlled weave structure, and their fine texture. Different parts of Iran use different materials and have distinguished designs and patterns based on their own local culture, traditions and needs of the people in that region.

Kilim is mostly made out of wool, animal hair, silk or cotton and unlike carpets it does not have piles unless it is added on parts for the beauty.

In the past people used to dye raw materials with plant or mineral based colours which is continued to be done traditionally in certain regions to make high quality weave Kilims. In some cases they wash the rug in tea or walnut peels to give it an old vintage look.

 

main different weaves for Kilim:

Plain Weave:

This weave produces a simple textile structure in which one set of yarns called the weft is interlaced horizontally with another set of yarns called the warp that are tautly stretched vertically on a loom. They usually have geometric repertoire of motifs and there are no predetermined plan or pattern for the weave.

 

Embossed weave:

It’s a plain weave but with embossed patterns that look like a pile on a carpet, patterns are knotted on warp yarns from a carpet map after the rug weave is finished and extra pile is removed.

 

Varny:

This is a pile less rug, it doesn’t have a map and creating the pattern and choosing the colours is done impromptu and from memory by the artist. Thus it is deeply influenced by the culture, beliefs and feelings of the person.

 However there are also some common motifs mostly geometrical motifs of different shapes like triangle, diamond, hexagon and square, … and also some other traditional motifs like animal figures or plant motifs which are regularly used in the weave.

 In fact, Varny is like a Kilim with the carpet looks. In other Kilims, patterns and motifs are created with weft yarns covering the warp yarns but in Varny Kilims extra weft yarns are used as needed to go over and around the existing weft yarns to create the desired pattern.

 

Benefits of Kilim:

- lightweight and easily folded  to move around 

- better choice for allergic people due to less or no piles

- easy to maintain, remove stains and clean

- great durability, they can last a lifetime if properly maintained

- versatile applications from floor covering, furnishing and decorating to a table runner and even a poncho

- sustainable and made of naturally handmade materials