70 
House b° Garden 
KHILIM RUGS and THEIR QUALITIES 
The Characteristics of the Only Napless Eastern Rug Are the Result 
of a Primitive Form of Weaving 
A. T. WOLFE 
A ]\IONG Oriental rugs the Khilim occu- 
-/~Vpies a unique position. Wherever the 
pile carpets are made, Khilims are generally 
made, too; the same dyes are used, and in 
some cases the same patterns, yet it is im¬ 
possible to mistake a Khilim: it is recog¬ 
nizable at a glance. 
In the first place (excepting the Soumak) 
it is the only napless rug that is made in the 
East; the knots that are used in every other 
Oriental fabric are, in the Khilim, replaced 
by a form of weaving which can be traced 
back to ancient Egyptian and Babylonian 
times, before the pile fabrics had been 
evolved. This alone gives an interest to the 
Khilim, and its peculiar characteristics are 
due largely to this primitive form of weav¬ 
ing. 
The weft threads are of wool twisted so 
tightly that the yarn looks almost like linen; 
these are dyed, and the pattern is worked 
out by passing them over and under the 
waqr threads which are stronger and stouter 
than those of the pile rugs. A shuttle and 
needle are used for binding the weft threads 
which are never carried beyond the edge of 
each figure in the pattern, but finished off 
neatly so that the rug is exactly the same on 
both sides; the word “ Khilim ” in fact means 
“double-faced”, though tufts of wool and 
loose ends are left at the back on some of the 
coarser makes. Each change of color is 
marked by an open space l)etween the warp 
threads so that the pattern when it is com- 
jdete looks something like a coarse insertion. 
The Karamanian rugs arc made hy 
nomad tribes of Turkoman origin. 
Large numbers were once imported into 
F.uropc 
This is the first of a series of articles on the 
various kinds of Oriental rugs to appear in 
House & Garden. The author of this series, 
Mr. A. T. Wolfe, an English authority on 
this subject, is well known to readers of 
House & Garden. In the November issue he 
will consider Kirmans, rugs whose beauty 
Marco Polo noted in 1270 on the occasion of 
his visit to Kirma, that strangely isolated and 
protected city in southern Persia. Their old 
tradition is still fairly well maintained 
On account of the method of weaving, the 
designs have to be stiff, geometric, and 
planned on rectilinear lines. The colors, each 
ending abruptly without the softening, 
blending effect of a pile, would be harsh in 
effect, almost crude, if it were not for the 
extraordinary cunning and skill with which 
the pattern is arranged. Serrated and in¬ 
dented, with cleverly planned irregularities 
of the straight lines, and skilful handling of 
the “latch-hook” and other Eastern sym¬ 
bols, each field of color is made to pass in¬ 
sensibly into the next, and the impression 
of blending and harmony is produced. 
In the ordinary course of buying and 
selling the one term “Khilim” is applied 
indiscriminately for all carj^ets thus woven. 
The Persian kinds are sometimes spelled as 
Ghileem (or Gileem), the Turkish Khilim, 
Kilim (or Killim), but even this distinction 
is far from general. In America, Kishilim 
is the generic term—this is quite erroneous. 
This Kis-Khilim is peculiar to Turkey, and 
its e.xclusive meaning is “girl-rug” because, 
according to an old Turkish tradition, it is 
made by Mohammedan girls who are about 
to be married. In Turkey rug-making ranks 
highly as an accomplishment, and these are 
woven by the betrothed girl for her suitor 
in order to demonstrate her taste and her 
skill; naturally she does her best, and most 
of the Kis-Khilims show rare workmanship 
and quality. Talismanic devices of some 
kind are often fastened to the warp 
{Continued on page 120) 
This 7v ara man ia n 
Khilim has a border 
in old rose atid the 
center pattern of light 
blue. Horizontal 
stripes in the manner 
of Bagdad portieres 
are often used in these 
rugs 
