Contemporary Pieces

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Oushak carpets originally come from the small region of Oushak in west-central Anatolia, just south of Istanbul. The Oushak region had a large export boom starting around 1870 that lasted until about 1910, with the bulk of the examples being made in the 1880's and 1890's. Like most Oriental weavings, Oushak carpets have been greatly influenced by Persian designs but managed to utilize pallets and adaptations of the graphics that squarely set them apart.

Today and in the past, they remain some of the most highly decorative antique carpets in the marketplace. Prices for good condition 19th century examples were pushed to their apex in the early 2000's causing countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and India to comit to massive "Oushak Design" projects that have absolutely flooded the market with the "Oushak Look" type of piece, most have poor quality wool, have been chemically washed to change the final look and lack the true Turkish understanding of color combinations that go into a true Oushak. 

Luckily, during this time period a few small Turkish boutique producers decided to take advantage of the trend and Turkey started its own Oushak revival, most of which were woven in or around the town of Konya. Having indigenous Turkish wool, dyes and their innate understanding of the colors that define an Oushak pallet, these carpets could have literally been woven by descendants of the women who wove the antique originals.