Selendi amulet evil eye kilim rug - large

An authentic vintage piece that will look right at home in a contemporary living space, this beautiful rug was made by hand in a village in Selendi, Turkey. Sea-toned blues and greens meet stripes in natural hues, adorned with traditional emblems and woven motifs.

A carrier of visual narrative and collective memory, each rug features symbolic patterns, their powerful meanings woven into the fabric of the piece. The amulet, or muska, offers protection through a woven talisman, while the evil eye, or nazarlik, functions as a shield against the ancient curse of a malevolent glare.

Kilim rugs carry the fingerprint of their maker, with each element from weave to geometric alignment, dye tones to decorative design, bearing the hallmarks of the region where the rug was made and the textile traditions of that area. Selendi is a historic carpet and kilim-weaving town in the Aegean region known for producing flatweave rugs with horizontal or vertical band designs embellished with repeating geometric protective motifs.

Kilim weaving was traditionally practised by women using techniques passed from mother to daughter, working without drawing boards or fixed templates, making each piece a unique expression of the maker’s artistry. This piece was made using the cicim method, a supplementary flat-weave technique where decorative pattern threads are added onto a plain-weave ground fabric to create a colourful raised design that sits proud of the surface.

Selected by the V&A, each piece has been sourced and professionally cleaned by a specialist partner.