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Manastir Kilims And the

Balkan Weaving Context

Tim and Penny HaysSeptember 2011The Textile Museum

Tim and Penny HaysSeptember 2011The Textile Museum

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Manastir Kilims And The Balkan Weaving ContextWeaving Took Place Across the Balkans

Manastir Kilims And The Balkan Weaving ContextWeaving Took Place Across the Balkans

Serbia

Romania

Bulgaria

Macedonia

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Dalmatia (Croatia)Bessarabia

3EASTERN EUROPEEASTERN EUROPE

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Kilim Weaving CentersWestern Balkans and Western Bulgaria: Urban and Organized

Kilim Weaving CentersWestern Balkans and Western Bulgaria: Urban and Organized Pirot (Serbia) Vojvodina (Serbia but more rural than Pirot) Chiprovtsy (Bulgaria) Macedonia The above are collectively known as Sarkoy in the trade and

among collectors Romania (Oltenia and Moldavia) Romania (Maramures,Banat, Hunedora: these Areas more

Rural) Bessarabia (Moldova and Ukraine) Bosnia-Herzegovia (especially after 1878)

Pirot (Serbia) Vojvodina (Serbia but more rural than Pirot) Chiprovtsy (Bulgaria) Macedonia The above are collectively known as Sarkoy in the trade and

among collectors Romania (Oltenia and Moldavia) Romania (Maramures,Banat, Hunedora: these Areas more

Rural) Bessarabia (Moldova and Ukraine) Bosnia-Herzegovia (especially after 1878)

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Production Types Eastern Bulgarian Weaving

Production Types Eastern Bulgarian Weaving

Manastir (Bulgaria) Rural, individual weavers

Pomaks (Bulgaria/Turkey) Rural, individual weavers

Kotel (Bulgaria) Urban and organized Weaving design, technique, and motifs

have more Anatolian influences

Manastir (Bulgaria) Rural, individual weavers

Pomaks (Bulgaria/Turkey) Rural, individual weavers

Kotel (Bulgaria) Urban and organized Weaving design, technique, and motifs

have more Anatolian influences

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ROMANIAWalachia - Moldavia - Transylvania

ROMANIAWalachia - Moldavia - Transylvania

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BulgariaBulgaria

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BulgariaBulgaria

Religious Background Of The WeaversReligious Background Of The Weavers

Orthodox and Roman Catholic in Romania, Bessarabia, Western Bulgaria and Serbia

Areas of mixed religious practice and ethnicity in the Balkans

Muslim in Eastern Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Bosnia Mostly Sunni In Eastern Bulgaria a significant number were

Bektashi and Alevi

Orthodox and Roman Catholic in Romania, Bessarabia, Western Bulgaria and Serbia

Areas of mixed religious practice and ethnicity in the Balkans

Muslim in Eastern Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Bosnia Mostly Sunni In Eastern Bulgaria a significant number were

Bektashi and Alevi

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THE MANASTIR WEAVING CULTURETHE MANASTIR WEAVING CULTURE

The Manastir Heartland was Eastern Bulgaria The weavers were descendants of Yoruk and

Turkman (Kizyl Bash) immigrants from Anatolia, resettled to this area by the Ottomans

Many Bektashi and Alevi Re-immigration to Western and Central Anatolia

probably began in the late 1870’s May have begun as early as the mid-1850’s

(Russo-Turkish war)

The Manastir Heartland was Eastern Bulgaria The weavers were descendants of Yoruk and

Turkman (Kizyl Bash) immigrants from Anatolia, resettled to this area by the Ottomans

Many Bektashi and Alevi Re-immigration to Western and Central Anatolia

probably began in the late 1870’s May have begun as early as the mid-1850’s

(Russo-Turkish war)

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THE MANASTIR WEAVING CULTURETHE MANASTIR WEAVING CULTURE Manastir weaving occurred in both Bulgaria and in several areas in

Anatolia In Bulgaria, production of flatweaves was the norm:

Prayer kilims Geometric ‘eye-dazzler’ and striped kilims Blanket-weave covers (striped) Non-directional kilims (various sizes) Kilim yastiks in prayer and non-directional formats Bags and trappings not known Earliest West Bulgarian kilims were geometric. Sarkoy group began

late 17th and 18th century Earliest Manastir weavings known are early- to mid-19th Century

(per Velev and Stankov)

Manastir weaving occurred in both Bulgaria and in several areas in Anatolia

In Bulgaria, production of flatweaves was the norm: Prayer kilims Geometric ‘eye-dazzler’ and striped kilims Blanket-weave covers (striped) Non-directional kilims (various sizes) Kilim yastiks in prayer and non-directional formats Bags and trappings not known Earliest West Bulgarian kilims were geometric. Sarkoy group began

late 17th and 18th century Earliest Manastir weavings known are early- to mid-19th Century

(per Velev and Stankov)

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MANASTIR WEAVING TECHNIQUEMANASTIR WEAVING TECHNIQUE Blanket weave Plain weave Tapestry Slit tapestry Brocading Only occasional use of eccentric wefting which was much more common

elsewhere in the Balkans Wefts sometimes of different diameters in a single piece Warp threads are wool or cotton but always very tightly spun. Goat hair

known in Sarkoy weavings Weft threads always wool, some cotton after turn of the 20th Century. Vertical looms Eastern Bulgarian weaving is distinctive. Differs from that of western

Bulgaria and the urban weaving centers

Blanket weave Plain weave Tapestry Slit tapestry Brocading Only occasional use of eccentric wefting which was much more common

elsewhere in the Balkans Wefts sometimes of different diameters in a single piece Warp threads are wool or cotton but always very tightly spun. Goat hair

known in Sarkoy weavings Weft threads always wool, some cotton after turn of the 20th Century. Vertical looms Eastern Bulgarian weaving is distinctive. Differs from that of western

Bulgaria and the urban weaving centers

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MANASTIR WEAVING MOTIFS AND DESIGNSMANASTIR WEAVING MOTIFS AND DESIGNS

Stripes Prayer arches (often floating) Protective amulets Hands of Fatima Multiple compartments Generally sparsely filled open fields of solid colors Designs are often austere and somewhat archaic Pre-1925 kilims were not the product of organized weaving

Stripes Prayer arches (often floating) Protective amulets Hands of Fatima Multiple compartments Generally sparsely filled open fields of solid colors Designs are often austere and somewhat archaic Pre-1925 kilims were not the product of organized weaving

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Manastir Weaving Color SchemesManastir Weaving Color Schemes Manastir weavings from Bulgaria and Anatolia have similar

colors, but probably have different dyestuffs Bulgarian production may feature:

Red from Balkan kermes or cochineal Woad blue Yellow (weld or fustic)

Anatolian production seems to utilize colors typical of the areas to which the weavers relocated: Red from madder Blue from indigo Yellows from one of several yellow dyestuffs

More contemporary weavings from this group are synthetic versions of the original color scheme

Manastir weavings from Bulgaria and Anatolia have similar colors, but probably have different dyestuffs

Bulgarian production may feature: Red from Balkan kermes or cochineal Woad blue Yellow (weld or fustic)

Anatolian production seems to utilize colors typical of the areas to which the weavers relocated: Red from madder Blue from indigo Yellows from one of several yellow dyestuffs

More contemporary weavings from this group are synthetic versions of the original color scheme

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Manastir Weaving Color SchemesManastir Weaving Color Schemes Generally fields in Manastir kilims are yellow, red, or blue Manastir kilims made in Balkans use woad rather than indigo. The

actual dye chemical indigotin is the same Greens are woad blue overdyed onto yellow Many shades of red ranging from pale pinks, purple reds, to brick

red. Possible use of beet root, rose root, cherry skins Yellows are mustard through wheat Yellow not used in weaving by Slavic Bulgarians Light sensitivity and color fastness vary considerably Wefts are white wool, or cotton and warps are white and brown

wool and cotton (or a mix) – cotton generally indicates later production

Goat hair Warps? Sometimes in Sarkoy pieces from West Bulgaria

Generally fields in Manastir kilims are yellow, red, or blue Manastir kilims made in Balkans use woad rather than indigo. The

actual dye chemical indigotin is the same Greens are woad blue overdyed onto yellow Many shades of red ranging from pale pinks, purple reds, to brick

red. Possible use of beet root, rose root, cherry skins Yellows are mustard through wheat Yellow not used in weaving by Slavic Bulgarians Light sensitivity and color fastness vary considerably Wefts are white wool, or cotton and warps are white and brown

wool and cotton (or a mix) – cotton generally indicates later production

Goat hair Warps? Sometimes in Sarkoy pieces from West Bulgaria

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Mosques in the Manastir HeartlandMosques in the Manastir Heartland

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Ali Pasha Mosque in Razgrad Tombul Mosque in Shumen In Razgrad small Manastir

prayer kilims were observed in use in the Women’s Gallery

These are two of the three largest mosques in the Balkans

Area is known to be populated by non-orthodox Muslims even today

Ali Pasha Mosque in Razgrad Tombul Mosque in Shumen In Razgrad small Manastir

prayer kilims were observed in use in the Women’s Gallery

These are two of the three largest mosques in the Balkans

Area is known to be populated by non-orthodox Muslims even today

The two slides that follow are of the images of the Bulgarian countryside in the Balkan mountains north of Pirot, Serbia and Chiprovsty, Bulgaria.

This is the landscape which supported the original Yoruk and Kizlbash Turkmen during the period of Ottoman dominance (pre-1878).

The two slides that follow are of the images of the Bulgarian countryside in the Balkan mountains north of Pirot, Serbia and Chiprovsty, Bulgaria.

This is the landscape which supported the original Yoruk and Kizlbash Turkmen during the period of Ottoman dominance (pre-1878).

Stari PlaninaStari Planina

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Stari PlaninaStari Planina

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The image that follows is of the town of Chiprovsty, Bulgaria, one of the main weaving towns in contemporary Bulgaria.

Kilims made here are a contemporary version of the Sarkoy type.

The image that follows is of the town of Chiprovsty, Bulgaria, one of the main weaving towns in contemporary Bulgaria.

Kilims made here are a contemporary version of the Sarkoy type.

ChiprovskiChiprovski

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We hope to obtain photos of the Manastir production areas of northeast and east central Bulgaria during a Fall, 2012 research trip.

We hope to obtain photos of the Manastir production areas of northeast and east central Bulgaria during a Fall, 2012 research trip.

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This is the end of the lecture.

Now we’ll look at the examples in the room.Now we’ll look at the

examples in the room.