“Three Graces” Kulalar, Turkey

These three sisters were watching as my husband and I walked by their home. We were visiting the village of Kulalar, a settlement of 900 people located in the province of Manisa in Western Turkey, to learn about traditional weaving culture of Anatolia. Nearby the city of U_ak has been one of the most famous sources of hand-woven rugs since the 15th century when textiles from the region were first exported to European nobility as gifts from the Ottoman court and, then, as sought-after status symbols. Kulalar, like many villages in the region, produces rugs that are still exported abroad today. The weave, material, patterns and coloration of rugs tells us much about the people who make them. Rugs are important historical artifacts. In Turkey, more rugs than books, survive from the 13th century.