The Anatolian carpets that were kept for hundreds of years in the churches of the Transylvanian Saxons and are in the collection of the museum in Izmir, Turkey will be able to be admired in a special room, dedicated to them, because their presence in the fortified churches of Transylvania is a unique phenomenon in the world, informs a press release sent on Monday to AGERPRES.

The decision to set up a special hall for “Transylvanian” carpets in Izmir was made after Lucien Arkas, Mujde Unustasi, the director of the Arkas cultural center in Izmir (which also includes a museum of Anatolian carpets) and Altug Onder, an expert in carpets, made a documentary visit to Transylvania, accompanied by the specialist Sefan Ionescu.

“At the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu, after a short meeting with the manager Alexandru Chituta, which led to an exchange of publications, the Turkish delegation viewed carpets from the museum’s collection, being impressed by the exceptional condition of the pieces. Following this visit, Mr. Arkas decided to expand the collection of the Anatolian carpets museum where a room dedicated to the “Transylvanian” carpets will be organized in order to make known in Turkey the extent of the phenomenon related to the presence of Anatolian carpets from the Ottoman period, kept in the churches of the Transylvanian Saxons. At the same time, a video presentation will be made to illustrate this unique phenomenon,” Stefan Ionescu said.

In 2007, the year of the European Cultural Capital, an exhibition, unique in the world, of Ottoman carpets kept for several centuries in Evangelical churches was opened at the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu. Exhibited in 2005 in Rome, and in 2006 in Berlin, Anatolian carpets from the Ottoman period in Transylvania attracted over 80,000 visitors at each exhibition. In 2007, they were exhibited for a month in Sibiu, after which they were taken to Istanbul.

The largest collection of Ottoman carpets in Romania is that of the Black Church in Brasov – 157 carpets. The first Turkish carpets were collected in Transylvania at the end of the 15th century, declared in 2007, specialist Andrei Kertesz, from the Brukenthal National Museum. Some carpets were donated, others were collected more than four centuries ago. Some Ottoman carpets were also found in the town halls’ inventories, where they were used as decorative elements for walls or tables.

At the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu there is a collection of 50 pieces, of which 46 are Ottoman carpets. Some of the Ottoman carpets in Sibiu are unique in the world, in terms of patterns, sizes and colours.