Sivas Rugs the OConnell Notes

Sivas carpets tend to be short cropped copies of Persian carpets. The weavers of Sivas area were predominantly Moslem women. Trade in Sivas grew dramatically from Seljuk times. Sivas sat at the hub of the regional trade routes and saw an influx of merchants from as far away as Russia and Italy.

Sivas Carpet Fragment 17th C. Rippon-Boswell lot 90

Turkish Rugs: Red Field Sivas Rug

The Turkish rugs made at Sivasare always woven of wool, and almost every hamlet carries on the industry of weaving in the homes. There are no factories, the young girls and women doing the work here, as in other parts of Turkey. Sivasrugs are in most cases small, measuring about eight by four feet; but lately larger and more attractive rugs are being made. Even the poorest families have fine rugs, for they regard them as valuable property, to be sold only under the pressure of great extremity. The weavers are so frugal in their manner of living that their daily earning of fourteen to nineteen cents is sufficient to supply their wants. Their food consists usually of rice and crushed wheat, with occasionally a small piece of mutton.
Rugs, oriental and occidental, antique and modern: A handbook for ready reference by Rosa Belle Holt, A. C. McClurg & Co., 1901