Vintage Selendi kilim from Turkey. 265×146 cms

This kilim was woven around the city of Selendi, in the Aegean region. Selendi kilims usually incorporate band designs with additional decoration in the cicim technique with geometric motifs. In this case, the weaver has incorporated names:  “Zekiye Hanim Sevike Hanim”. Hanim means “miss”, “wife”, “lady” etc. Zekiye is a girl’s name and means “clever” or “wise” and Sevike is also a girl’s name and means “happy”. So it says something like “Miss Zekiye” and “Miss Sevike”. It could have been the name of the woman who wove the kilim and her daughter, or her two daughters, or the weaver and a sister etc.

265×146 cms

1960-70s