Ladik Rugs
Ladik is a town in central Anatolia, northwest of Konya, Turkey. Rug weaving has a rooted tradition in the province. Indeed the oldest Anatolian carpets are found in Konya.
Ladik, used to be a weaving center for Konya, with a leading role in designs. There is also another Turkish town named Ladik located at the shore of the Black Sea with no reputation in weaving.
During Ottoman era Ladik was considered a big rug weaving center alongside Hereke, Ushak and Gördes. Some famous prayer designs are named after Ladik, such as column Ladik and Tulip Ladik. Pieces with such designs may be woven elsewhere in Anatolia or Balkan.
There are some glorious Ladik pieces woven before the 18th century kept in museum. Antique pieces are mostly woven during the 19th century. In the late twenties rug weaving restarted in the town, following Persian floral designs.
Technical aspects and the structure of Ladik Rugs
Antique Ladik prayer rugs are woven on a completely woolen structure. Warps are offset. Knots are symmetric (Turkish).
The area’s wool considered the best in Anatolia, silky and lustrous. Ladik is also famous for its mats, cushion and pillows called in Turkish Yastik.
Rugs with Persian designs are presently produced in Ladik. Knots of such pieces are symmetric with a density of 160 per square inch.
Dyeing and painting of Ladik Rugs
Glowing shades of red and blue are dominant on the Ladik antique palette. The glow comes from the silky lustrous wool of the region. In older museum examples a golden camel dominates the palette.
The secondary palette may include shades of green, yellow, ivory and beige, to be mentioned. Richness, glow and simplicity of the palette give a dignified feature to Ladik prayer rugs.
Designs and patterns of the Ladik Rugs
Ladik is chiefly well-known for its antique prayer rugs. There is a tendency among experts to name some of these certain design prayer designs Ladik. These include designs with stepped mihrabs, triple-niche mihrabs, and mihrabs with two columns.
The most recognizable of these prayer designs called Ladik Tulip. The “tulips” are upside-down as the proper direction of a prayer rug is supposed to be shown by its mihrab!
Ladik prayer rugs have a unique border design. Called Rhodian lilies, the border design consists of geometric a lily, showing the angled sepal enclosed by two bracket-shaped leaves. The lily alternates with large oval floral motifs to make the repeat.
