The Black Tent Project and HALI: Greater Anatolia Rug and Textile Study Tour

The Greater Anatolia Rug and Textile Study Tour, offered by The Black Tent Project and HALI, is being held from 23 May–5 June 2024. Participants will be taken on a journey through weaving regions in Turkey, encountering an eclectic array of rugs and textiles in Istanbul, Bursa, Bergama, İzmir, Tire-Birgi, Ankara, Cappadocia, Sultanhanı and Konya. The 13-day tour, as detailed below, offers visitors exclusive access to woven treasures, alongside a series of workshops and lectures, just ahead of the ICOC XV in Istanbul. Book the tour here.

‘HALI is delighted to be offering our first tour in Turkey—in partnership with The Black Tent Project—timed to precede ICOC XV in Istanbul. Having travelled throughout Turkey over many years, I am constantly thrilled by the country’s artistic, historic and cultural riches, and its fascination for those of us who appreciate rugs, textiles and weaving. Travelling through urban and rural regions with names familiar from rug terminology is the ideal way in which to immerse oneself in people, places and their traditions. Encountering rugs, textiles, costume and materials first-hand in their place of origin is endlessly enriching. With an intricate knowledge of Anatolian weaving traditions and the cultural landscape, there is no-one better positioned to act as guide to this material in Turkey than Deniz Coşkun. Guests participating on this study tour can expect to learn a fantastic amount from him and his many contacts in the field.’

Ben Evans, HALI Editor 

Taking place under the guidance of wool, weaving and dyeing expert, Deniz Coşkun, this tour package includes thirteen nights’ accommodation in handpicked 4- and 5-star hotels. During this time, participants will have the rare opportunity to hear experts in the field discussing a selection of rug and textile types. Highlights include an introduction to yellow ground Aksaray-Konya Cappadocian carpets of the type mentioned in Marco Polo’s travel chronicles, a presentation about ‘Felts, Rugs, and Tulus’ by the longstanding Anatolian rug and textile expert, Udo Hirsch and a private view of a tent band collection containing unusual examples. These academic explorations will be supplemented by a series of engaging activities, including demonstrations of hand-spun silk yarn production and parchment paper making and meeting experienced weavers in rural Greater Anatolia. 

Find out more and book.