Pamukkale, in Turkish, means the cotton castle. There is something of that mineral whiteness in the way this 135 x 115 cm (4'5" × 3'9") kilim organises its colours, concentric crowns moving from brick red to sage green by way of blue-grey, with at their centre three medallions carrying mirrored motifs of an almost geometric precision.
Woven by hand some 60 years ago, this piece has that rare quality of Western Anatolian kilims that know how to be dense without being heavy, generous without being overbearing. The saffron yellow that erupts in bursts through the borders and medallions awakens the whole like a ray of sunlight falling at exactly the right place.
