Contemporary Pieces

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Oushak carpets originally come from the small region of Oushak in west-central Anatolia  south of Istanbul, Turkey.  The Oushak region had a large export boom starting around 1870 that lasted to 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 palletes 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 market place. Prices for good condition 19th century examples were pushed to thier apex in the early 2000's causing coutries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and India to comit to massive "Oushak Design" projects that have absolutley flooded the market with the "Oushak Look" type of piece, most have poor quality wool, have been chemicaly washed to change the final look and lack the true Anatolian understanding of color. 

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