FIELDS OPENED CARPETS IN ANTALYA

Antique looking carpets & kilims of Anatolia's magical lands, attract great attention from tourists! Thousands of valuable hand-woven carpets and rugs collected from different regions of Turkey are laid on the wheat fields in the district of Döşemealtı to purify them from germs and turn their colors into pastels. Carpets, which spend the summer season under the heat of Antalya, are turned upside down at regular intervals. The carpets, which started to be collected and cleaned from dust as of September, are sent to many countries, especially the USA. Halil Börekçi, 68, who is engaged in the carpet trade on a 150-decare wheat field in Karataş Neighborhood, said that as of the beginning of June, they started to bring together valuable hand-woven carpets and kilims with the sun. Carpets and rugs, which come back to life in the hands of the workers, take their place in the fields after the first washing process. Carpets and kilims, which are sunlit on both sides at 15 days intervals, are straightened immediately, even if they turn upside down from time to time due to the wind. Carpets, which are left in the hot and humid air during the day for about a month, are sent abroad after the last washing and a series of processes, after being cleaned of dust. While there were 5 thousand carpets in the field about 2 months ago, this number is aimed to increase to 10-15 thousand by the end of summer. After the carpet laying process was completed, the carpets and rugs in the field were viewed from the air with a drone, you can see these images below! Reminding that they exported between 30 and 50 thousand carpets a year before, Börekçi said, “I was the third in carpet export in Turkey in 1989, but now our annual sales are between 500 and 1000.

When viewed from a bird's eye view, this image, which is a riot of colors and creates the feeling of carpet growing on the ground, brings a colorful rush to the city. Stating that they traveled around Anatolia and collected old carpets from the villages, Börekci said, “I have been dealing with sunbathing carpets since 1976. We sell the carpets we collect abroad after passing them through various stages. By laying the carpets and rugs woven using 100 percent organic wool and dye into the sun, we ensure that they are purified from the chemicals and microbes.” said. Stating that they send carpets and rugs to every part of the world, Börekci said, “We mostly send them to the USA. Japan, Australia, South America and European countries are also our top destinations. We ship almost anywhere in the world. These are all organic, natural, hand-woven carpets and rugs.” used the phrases. Börekci added that photography enthusiasts and tourists coming to Antalya also show interest in carpet fields.