Mut Kilims
Mut is a town and district of Mersin Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. The rural district at the foot of the Sertavul Pass on the road over the Taurus Mountains from Ankara and Konya to the Mediterranean coast at Anamur or Silifke.
The summer is hot and Nomads of Mut retreat to high meadows (so called yayla) even further up the mountainside. The forests up here are home to wild boar, and the Gezende reservoir on the Ermenek River is a welcome patch of blue in this dry district.
Mut is a source for kilim rather than piled rugs. These kilims have nomadic feature in design and weave. Antique pieces may be branded as Karaman which is rug center north of Mut.
Technical aspects and the structure of Mut Kilims
Dislike most of Anatolian kilims, Mut kilims are woven in a single piece and may be without edge borders. Nevertheless there are some slit-woven pieces. Warp and weft are woolen. Various sizes are possible including runners. rug sizes are rather long.
Dyeing and painting of Mut Kilims
Colors are bright and contrasting. The ground color is usually red. Ivory used frequently. Black is also used in small amount to emphasize the outlines. Light green and purplish green are common. Mut’s secondary palette include light violet, yellow, orange, dark green, various shades of blue, pink, beige, tan, brown, cream and white.
Designs and patterns of the Mut Kilims
Concentric dented diamonds make the majority of Mut kilim designs. Some of these may be set on a striped ground. Simple striped pieces are also possible.
Some of Mut kilims are designed with motifs known as gulbudak, wolf’s mouth and monster’s foot. These are normally framed by serrated lozenges. Serving as a repeat, these diamonds make ultimately a lattice design. Bukaǧı (fetter) and cengel (hook) motifs are used vastly as filling motifs.
