Arthur Kelim rug red

The kilim rug woven in culture. The story of the original handmade kilim.

Our kilim rug is a flat hand-woven, of Eastern origin. It is probably the earliest known form of rug art. The name ‘Kelim’ is Turkish and derives from the Persian word ‘gelim’ (گلیم).

The kilim technique has traditionally been practised in Anatolia, the Caucasus and North Africa. Our kilims are hand-woven in Morocco.

The special thing about the kilim weaving technique is that the patterns are usually the same on both sides, so there is no front or back. A kilim can be used as rug or wall hanging. The most commonly used material for kilim patterns is wool, and cotton is used for the warp threads. The traditionally used colors are red, pink, ivory, blue, and green.

History of the kilim rug.

Net als pooltapijten wordt het kilim tapijt al sinds de oudheid geproduceerd.

Handmade wool Kelim rug available in various sizes.

Weaving technique

Diagram of the kilim split weaving technique, showing how the weft threads of each color are rewound from the color boundary, creating a split.

Kilim fabrics are manufactured by closely interweaving the warp and weft threads of the fabric to create a flat, pileless surface. Kilim fabrics are rug fabrics, technically woven flat with weft faces, meaning that the horizontal weft threads are pulled tightly downwards to conceal the vertical warp threads.

Kelim rug - four different sizes available 170x240cm, 200x250cm, 200x300cm and 250x300cm.

Please note: the rugs are handmade and are therefore never exactly the same size (for example, a rug is 242x177 instead of 240x170).

Pure new wool is naturally dirt-repellent and resilient, and is washed and carded rather than chemically softened, which keeps the fibre elastic and ensures the rug will last for years.