Nakkaş Halı is proud to be one of two exclusive retailers in all of Istanbul for the exquisite silk rug collection, “Hereke Sultani”. These fine productions of one hundred per cent cocoon silk come from Hereke, a town near Istanbul. Hereke was traditionally the place where large rugs were woven for the palaces and villas of Istanbul, during the 17th and 18th centuries. The rugs from this tradition are ornate, finely detailed and expansive in design. The selection at Nakkas includes medallion designs, floral designs, and even recreations of paintings and prints, depicting life and images from 18th century Istanbul. Many of these rugs have won awards at international trade shows and fairs. Please check our ‘Award Rugs’ section for a specific list of these rugs.

Nakkaş’ Kumkapı line of silk rugs use a high-quality silk weft on silk warp and is produced with a special technique. It is one of the few silk rug collections that uses truly natural dyes. Properly fixing natural dyes on silk rugs requires an extended and involved process. Typically, silk yarn is dyed with chrome dyes, but the silk in this rug has been dyed with 100% natural dyes. It is called a “Kumkapı” rug, since it is made exactly like the Kumkapı rugs of the 19th century – using not only the same dyeing techniques but also the same knotting techniques. Lastly, the finishing process on these rugs is very specific and difficult – they are washed several times with walnut skins to give an antique sheen – and this is a very delicate procedure that must be carefully monitored. This collection exhibits the traditional asymmetric patterns of the 18th and 19th century. In a typical design, the simple field of delicate organic design is framed by a contrasting band of color.

The Oz Ipek line of silk rugs are really unique. The designs are truly intricate. They have a very high density of knots, often more than 645 knots per sq inch, and sometimes as high as 10,000. Nakkas is proud to share with you several different beautiful and interesting designs in our Oz Ipek rugs. One of our designs is the “Gate of Happiness” which is also known as the “Entrance into Paradise”. Paradise, naturally, can only be achieved by passing through the gate as we are told in many legendary myths. For that reason, Ottoman Sultans have given the name “Gate of Happiness” to the entrance of the Topkapı Palace. The original design of the monumental entrance door of the Topkapi Palace can be seen on our silk carpet. Nakkas is also proud to have a beautiful “Tree of Life” design in the Oz Ipek silk rug collection. The border design is an endless tree, symbolizing long life and re-birth, while the center part of the rug, which consists of leaves and flowers, is woven in a naturalistic style and forms the basic composition. The concept of a tree of life has been used in biology, religion, philosophy, and mythology. The Tree of Life is a central symbol in Turkic mythology as well.

One of Nakkaş’ hidden treasures is our collection of tiny world-record-holding silk rugs. A 5” x 8” Hereke silk carpet has knots so small, the weaver uses magnifying glasses to see the silk threads as she ties them, and she can only work in short intervals, half an hour at a time, followed by a break, to rest her eyes. Otherwise, she will risk going blind. Taking more than one year to produce, our tiny treasures depict a number of different designs, such as the “Ottoman garden” design, with a beautiful tree at its center, and several different birds on the branches, and a goat and a lamb under the boughs. Such works of art can only be produced by specially trained weavers.