Zilli Whariki by Begum Karadag is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Parahi in Hoahoa Taonga Tuku Iho me te Ahumahi Ahurea Competition Category.

ParahiTaonga Tuku Iho· 2025

Zilli Whariki

by Begum Karadag

Client: Buruz Design

A' Design Award Parahi Winner in Taonga Tuku Iho Category

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Verified Award Winner
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Colors

The Design

About Zilli Whariki

Ko Zilli he whakanuinga o te whatu tuku iho ki ngā rārangi hou-ā-ao. Ko te whariki he mea whatu ki te ringa mā te tikanga whatu tohu whenua o Tākei. I tuituia ngā tohu i te wā o te whatu ki te tikanga Cicim. Kāore he tukatuka i muri. Ko tēnei te taipitopito motuhake e wehe ana i tēnei whatu i ētahi atu. He tohu whenua anō hoki ngā hoahoa. I whakamahia e mātou e rima o ēnei tohu i te hanganga o te whariki Zilli. Ko ngā ingoa me ngā haerenga o ēnei tohu; ko te hū hōiho (kotahitanga o ngā tau aroha), ko te waewae kurī (harikoa, nui haere), ko te kōpiona (tiaki i te kino), ko te karīwa (māringanui), ko te pīrikihao (nui haere).

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Parahi

Ko Zilli Whariki te toa o te A' Design Award Parahi, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa kōeke e tohua ana mā te auaha, te mahi mōhio me te whakaaro hōhonu. Ko ngā toa Parahi he mahi pukenga e rite ana, he auaha mīharo, e whakatūturu ana i te wheako nui, te whakaaro me te mōhio-ā-ringa o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko Zilli Whariki he taonga whakanuia, whakamīharotia, aroha nui, he ngaio, he auaha hoki. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Parahi e whakauru ana i ngā tikanga pai rawa i te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau, ā, he tino mīharo ki ngā taipitopito. Ka whakatutuki a Zilli Whariki i ngā hiahia, ka pā ki ngā hiahia, ka whakaoho i ngā kare-ā-roto, ā, ka kume i te pākiki.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Zilli is a blend of traditional weaving with postmodern lines. The rug is hand-woven using Turkey's geographically marked Karacakilavuz Weaving Technique. It has geographically marked motifs with five different meanings. The motifs were embroidered during weaving with the Cicim Technique, which is not considered as a post processing. This is the most important aspect that distinguishes this weaving technique from others.
Dimensions & Packaging: Width 240 cm x Depth 280 cm x Height 1 cm. Since the product is handmade, these dimensions may change each time a production is completed. It is also possible to produce in different sizes. Package size is 80cmx40cmx60cm.
Tags: artisan, craft, rug, design, anatolian, woman, natural dye, sustainable
Production Technology: The production was made with the Karacakilavuz Weaving technique and produced in Tekirdag province of Turkey. Weaving is done on four-pedal and four texsolv heddles oak looms. The ground of the weave is twill weaving, motifs are processed with the Cicim Technique during the weaving. The wool is colored entirely with vegetable dyes and natural undyed cotton warp thread was used in its warp.
Three weaving pieces are produced separately and hand-embroidered using the crochet stitches. Back side cleaning process is done with a crochet hook and scissors. Three wings are joined together asymmetrically with a knitted wool chain. A lining fabric containing cotton is added to prevent the back of the fabric from being exposed. Finally, each rug fringe at the end of the rug is hand-attached to finish the product.
Design Challenge: This design is far from the usual traditional lines while bringing this first innovation with preserving the traditional technique and motifs. In traditional, the motifs had an intricate structure and all motifs were evaluated separately. Their stories are individual but they whisper a story in general. At the same time, its production required precision. It made difficult for our team who had never worked with milimeters before. However it gave people pleasure with its colors and patterns, it began to be known in the workshop as '' Zilli '', a somewhat a joyful name, this gave the rug.
Research: We learned from the locals about the history of the weaving technique with geographical indication mark. We took old weavings that were used hundreds of years ago in the village and could not be preserved in good conditions from the houses. In this way, we also closely examined how the weaving technique was used in the past. We have measured dimensions of yarn's arrangement and placements of the threads at each pedal stages. Then we have recreated the weaving based on our measurements.
Inspiration: This weaving technique dates back centuries. Its name is Karacakilavuz Weaving Technique and it is unique to Tekirdag/Turkey and geographically marked. However, not all Karacakilavuz Weavings have survived to the present day. Zilli aims to revive this lost weaving technique from its ashes. With this design, a completely different interpretation has been brought by using exactly the same weaving technique and motifs. The motifs on it describe fertility and the bitter and sweet aspects of life.
Project Duration: Karacakilavuz Weaving Technique, which is the core technique of weaving the product, belongs to the Tekirdag province of Turkey. It is only allowed to be produced only in Tekirdag. For this reason, the production of the rug was made in Buruz's own workshop in Tekirdag province of Turkey. Buruz's workshop is the first production workshop opened in Turkey, providing sustainable women employment for Karacakilavuz Weaving. The production period takes approximately one month (the stage of dyeing the ropes with plants is not taken into account).
Operation Flow: The product is designed as a floor rug. It is produced in Buruz's workshop in approximately one month, using completely environmentally sustainable materials. The sale and promotion of the product is made on Buruz's website or other sales points. Since it is a custom made product, it can only be produced as a limited edition. Due to its production feature, it is not a mass production item. The rugs production can be organized upon the order.
Patents: trademark registration number: 2021 102712
Team Members: Begum Karadag
Image Credits: The photos in pdf format were taken by Begum Karadag.
The other photos were taken by Tekirdag Municipality press officers.