Oriental Rugs Glossary

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Kum Kapi

Kum Kapi (also: "Kum Kapu") means "Sand Gate" in Turkish. At the end of the 19th and beginning of 20th century Armenians made very fine silk luxury rugs with partly silver and gold plated thread. Persian noble rug provenances, whose designs have been partly varied, served as an example to these carpet makers. Kum Kapi rugs today are evaluated very highly, since only a restricted number of them were made, and back then they already were some of the most expensive and valuable rugs of the time. The fineness, pliantness as well as the color harmony and the shine of the rugs are extraordinary. Ca. 1965 the production of these valuable rugs has been resumed and the results are beautiful.