DOBAG Rugs: Reclaiming Lost Traditions

dobag rugs

Reclaiming lost traditions

Jim Bennight & RugRag.com

It is said that in Turkey, works of art cover the floors. The region has long been known for its carpet-weaving traditions. From nomadic tribal flat weaves and knotted pile carpets to the opulent silk textiles of the Ottoman court, rich colors and bold geometric designs have expressed the heritage of Anatolian people for hundreds of years. Though much has been written on antique carpets and their history, there seems to be little written about contemporary carpet weaving in modern day Anatolia - The Asiatic part of Turkey.

The DOBAG project is about a small portion of that heritage which has survived. In very select outlying villages of today, relatively little has changed in the technology of making a hand knotted rug.  The shearing, carding and dyeing of wool in many ways remains unscathed by newer technology. Spinning of wool using a drop spindle is still practiced by women, a technique passed down from many generations. 

While some of these traditions were indeed lost, they have been reclaimed in the past 25 or 30 years. DOBAG (Dogal Boya Arasturma ve Gelistirme Projesi) is a natural dye Research and Development Project supervised by Marmara University in Istanbul: A cooperative dedicated to the preservation and reinforcement of local weavers to produce rugs in the manner they have for many centuries past. 

Initial steps of the project stemmed from extensive research efforts by Harold Bohmer, a German chemistry teacher.  With access to hundreds of antique rugs in museums and private collections, he ascertained many dyes used in samples correlated with vegetable dyes derived from plants indigenous to Turkey.  Led by these findings, the next step was to bring the project to an area where age old techniques had survived: In mountainous regions of Turkey, where weaving was in some cases still done in home and a daily routine.  The DOBAG project is part of encouraging these elements, and builds upon them as well:  Weavers must be over the age of 18 in order for their carpets to be part of and sold to the DOBAG cooperative.  Emigration to larger cities is said to have decreased substantially, yet another testament to the success, as tradition remains where it has for many years. 

Co-op weaving is exclusively for piled rugs.  Spring shearing is commonplace, as the wool tends to be fuller, with more luster and body.  All done by hand, the wool is carded and spun, then dyed with local, natural dyes. Weavers choose their patterns and colors, mostly traditional tribal. The final result yields a hand woven carpet which many consider the “antiques of tomorrow."

In many instances, it is not uncommon that the women earn more money than men, as they are the weavers.  Co-op weavers receive compensation based upon a fair wage system of how many knots are in their rug. A standard size of 6’ x 9’ may contain upwards of 600,000 knots. 

Relatively few rugs are made available through the DOBAG efforts, rendering the final pieces unique and somewhat difficult to obtain.  In 2003, only 350 families between some 30 villages were members of the DOBAG co-op, all monitored with strict quality control. 

Woven into the field of many rugs are letters or symbols to signifying the weaver and village. DOBAG rugs are also finished with a leather tag bearing the DOBAG trademark, and a lead seal and label are also affixed for purposes of identification and filing at Marmara University for documentation. To finalize the authentic process, these rugs are exclusively available through authorized dealers.

DOBAG rugs have set new standards of social, economic and aesthetic excellence.  For many of us, they are indeed the antiques of the future. DOBAG rugs not only are on display in several museums around the world, but also found in the homes of consumers who seek to reinforce the unique efforts outlined as the Dogal Boya Arasturma ve Gelistirme Projesi.

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