TURKEY IN ASIA SYRIA. 



The rugs made to-day are of very inferior designs as compared with 

 the ancient ones ; the prevailing colors are usually red and black, varied 

 occasionally crimson and black, with black or dark brown figures at 

 both ends. 



In one village, distant about 10 miles from Haidainocr, the colors 

 which predominate are red and green with white borders, having white 

 circles about 2 inches in diameter with either red or green centers. 



A rude sort of carpet is the specialty of another village; it is from 

 20 to 30 feet long and 4 feet wide, made in stripes about 2 inches wide 

 of brown color, alternating with a dingy yellow, black, and a dirty 

 white, the white and black being the natural colors of the wool. 



The deterioration in design may perhaps be due to the fact that the 

 rug-makers use no pattern to guide them, depending entirely upon 

 memory, often treacherous ; and being a simple, uneducated people, 

 they have gradually but irretrievably lost the original art. 



Until quite recently a beautiful rug of a brown or velvety black was 

 manufactured, but is no longer to be seen ; the color with which to dye 

 the wool was obtained by digging shallow holes in winter streams. In 

 the spring or summer, when the streams were dry, the peasants re- 

 moved the earth collected therein, which, after repeated washings, 

 produced a beautiful and indelible pigment. The custom has now 

 utterly fallen in disuse, because cheap coloring matter can be secured 

 from France, which has of course greatly deteriorated the quality, 

 beauty, and durability of the rugs and lessened their commercial value 

 correspondingly. 



Blue, green, red, old gold, orange, and other colors were formerly 

 extracted from roots, leaves, and barks of trees in the most primitive 

 manner, but the introduction of cheap foreign dye-stuffs have now com- 

 pletely superseded them. 



Bugs vary in size from 2 feet square to 3 feet wide by 12 feet long. 



E. BISSINGER, 



Consul. 



UNITED STATES CONSULATE, 



Beirut, September 18, 1889. 



[Inclosure in Consul Bissinger's Report] 

 CARPET W HAVING BY THE NOMADS. 



Report prepared by Consul Kissinger from material furnished by Commercial Agent PocJie, 



of Aleppo. 



Carpets are made to some extent in the valley of Amouk by the Ribanlis, a semi- 

 nomadic tribe, a fraction of tbe great family of Turcomans, wbo also are engaged 

 in tbe weaving of this article in the country surrounding Marasb, Behesne, and 

 AdiyriixMi. 



The carpet industry is not known at all at Aleppo, nor in any of tbe towns of the 

 Aleppo vilayet. 



