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Turkey is located in Southwest Asia. Turkey is bordered by Bulgaria and Greece on the
northwest; Black Sea on the north; Georgia and Armenia on the northeast; Iran on the east; Iraq,
Syria and the Mediterranean Sea on the south; and Aegean Sea on the west. Turkey's capital is
Ankara.
The earliest Anatolian (Turkish) handmade rugs date back to the thirteenth century. Many
examples of Anatolian rugs can be seen in European paintings from 1350 to 1450. Rugs have
been woven in Turkey for at least as long as they have been in Iran.
Rugs produced today are generally very beautiful and high quality. In the late 1970s the
government began a program to improve the quality and profitability of the rug industry. The
program reintroduced the use of natural dyes and traditional weaving methods. Thus, DOBAG (a
Turkish acronym meaning Natural Dye Research and Development Project) was created. Turkey
produces a wide variety of village and workshop rugs particularly in Hereke, which also
produces one of the best silk rugs in the world and, to a lesser extent, in Kayseria.
Even though Turkey does not export nearly as many rugs as Iran, India or China, it is still
considered a large exporter of handmade rugs. Market sizing data from the exporting countries is
difficult to obtain, as some of the countries may not track the data or disclose it. Nevertheless,
from foreign embassies, industry specialists, and magazine articles, the 1998 rug export estimate
for Turkey is 150 million dollars.