1.18 million knots turn into carpet in Kocaeli

KOCAELİ - Demirören News Agency

A carpet named “Peace Tree,” which consists of 1.18 million knots, has been woven in a carpet workshop in the northwestern province of Kocaeli, featuring important historical figures such as Darwin, Einstein, Beethoven and Atatürk, the founder of modern Türkiye.

There are 144 knots per square centimeter of the carpet that was woven from pure silk over 1.5 years, said Nurhan Ör, the owner of the workshop in Hereke neighborhood, which is known for its carpets, in Kocaeli’s Körfez district.

Noting that the carpet has the dimensions of 75x105 centimeters, Ör said that it consists of 1.18 million knots in total.

It was also aimed to portray the state of the world on the carpet, which also attracts attention with its special design, according to Ör.

“With hands lifted up in the air, we tried to show that we wish our world would be a peaceful place,” he said.

We also tried to portray important historical figures on the carpet, as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is in the middle, he added, while the carpet also features other important historical figures such as Darwin, Einstein and Beethoven.

Underlining that 68 colors are present in the carpet, Ör said, “We send our carpets to all over the world, especially to the U.S., European countries, and Japan. Demands have started to come from the Middle East as well.”

The traditional Hereke carpets, which are displayed at the Ottoman sultans’ palaces, mansions and pavilions, including the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, started to be weaved with the establishment of Hereke Fabrika-i Hümayun in 1843, in order to meet furnishing and curtain needs of palaces that were built in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.