The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

Analyses of Seljuk carpets
Analyses of 16th-centure Uşak carpets
Analyses of the 16th-19th-century carpet collection


Dyestuff analysis is underway on nearly 700 samples from 98 carpets in the collection of the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Works, and reports to support their restoration and preservation are being written.

The analyses of a Seljuk carpet (Inventory number 685) yielded the following:
Red: Madder (Rubia tinctorum L.) and dyer's oak (Quercus infectoria Olivier);
Purple: Madder (Rubia tinctorum) and dyer's oak (Quercus infectoria Oliveia)
Blue: Indigo (Isatis tinctoria L.) and dyer's oak (Quercus infectoria Olivia)
Navy blue: Indigo (Isatis tinctoria L.) and dyer's oak (Quercus infectoria Olivia)
Yellow: Weld (Reseda luteola L.) and dyer's oak (Quercus infectoria Olivia)
Green: Weld (Reseda luteola L.), dyer's oak (Quercus infectoria Olivia) and indigo (Isatis tinctoria L.)