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Turkish Master Weavers of the late 19th and 20th Centuries |
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 Kum Kapi prayer rug
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The Armenian quarter of Istanbul was an
impoverished neighbourhood at the end of the 19th century and the early 20th
century. The term Kum Kapi (Sand Gate), or Kum Kapour, refers to this area and also to the
magnificent carpets that were created here during this period. Kum Kapi was in close proximity to the Top Kapi neighbourhood with its splendid monuments, which inspired much of the stylistic designs. The flourishing silk industry that existed in nearby Hereke also contributed to the setting up of workshops in Kum Kapi. Kum Kapi rugs have a silk pile and are woven in symmetrical knot. A technique was employed where weaving gold and silver-wrapped threads into the upper level warps created embossed highlights in the silk pile. To arrive at this technique Top Kapi and Salting Group carpets were scrutinized. Top Kapi and the Salting Group rugs were in turn inspired by the masterpieces of classical Safavid Persia. The Kum Kapi weavers were mostly Turkish Armenians who migrated west to Istanbul. Some of the best known masters (or Oustha) of Kum Kapi included famous masterweavers such as Hagop Kapoukjian, Zareh Penyamian, Garabed Apelian, Tossounian and more recently Mehmet Ocevik. The start of the Second World War in 1939 abruptly ended trading and production of carpets in Istanbul. Mehmet Ocevik was instrumental in the revival of Kum Kapi weaving after the war, but his untimely death in 1971 brought and end to the short re-birth of the Kum Kapi Rug. |
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