Turkish Silk Carpets

The very fine Hereke silk rugs are extremely labor intensive and the prices tend to reflect that. Hereke copies are made in China particularly in Zhenping in Henan province. The market place sees the Chinese copies as no more than copies and the real Hereke is much more valued in the marketplace.

"HEREKE SILK FABRIC AND CARPET FACTORY

Hereke Fabrika-i Hümâyûn was established at Hereke east of Istanbul in 1843. At the time it was the largest such manufactory for silk fabric and carpets in the Ottoman Empire.

Efforts to develop Turkish industry along western lines commenced in the early l9th century, and the Hereke Silk Fabric underwent a series of changes and improvements which kept it at the forefront of technology in its field. Fabrics and carpets were woven here for Dolmabahçe and all the other imperial residences, which served as display cases for the finest of the factory’s products. While Dolmabahce Palace was under construction a weaving mill known as the Hereke Dökümhanesi was set up in the grounds to produce the items required for furnishing the new palace in situ.

Today the Hereke factory continues in operation as a museum-factory, an exceptional example of this genre of institution