4 x 8 Vintage Turkish Oushak Rug 50087

50087 Vintage Turkish Oushak Rug Runner, 04'00 x 07'09.

A flame of Anatolian heritage burns bright in this hand-knotted wool vintage Turkish Oushak rug—a radiant tableau of tribal spirit and sacred geometry. Its crimson field glows like the embers of an ancient hearth, cradling a symmetrical tree of life motif that rises like a votive prayer, adorned with branching hearts, blossoms, and amulets of protection. This central axis grounds the composition, its golden outlines shimmering like threads of sunlight breaking through the twilight veil of tradition.

Framing the ascending tree of life is a procession of dragon motifs, their jagged, multi-edged silhouettes unfolding in hues of saffron, chestnut, apricot, and ivory. These dragons—great serpents in Anatolian myth—serve as vigilant guardians of the sacred and the unseen. Nested within each dragon is the Bereket (fertility) symbol: a potent union of two elibelinde (hands-on-hips) motifs symbolizing the feminine, and two kocboynuzu (ram’s horn) motifs signifying the masculine. At the heart of this composition lies a single protective eye, a spiritual ward against misfortune and the evil eye. Near the crown of the tree of life, flanking its upward thrust, dwell a pair of rare hand (comb) motifs—hourglass-shaped symbols with three-pronged ends. These combs, ancient talismans in Anatolian weavings, were placed to repel malevolent spirits and preserve the sanctity of the home. Altogether, the field becomes a spiritual tapestry, embodying fertility, protection, and the sacred guardianship of ancestral knowledge.

The outer border pulses with a tribal cadence, its repeated hooked symbols and stepped motifs echoing the ancient glyphs carved into Anatolia’s stones and whispered into its weavings. Every element here speaks in metaphor: protection and power in the rams' horns, abundance in the wheat-like patterns, and divine guardianship in the stylized eyes that watch from every side. The entire rug feels alive with the rhythm of its people—a living manuscript from the hand of the weaver-shaman.

As a visual poem steeped in rural mysticism, this vintage Oushak rug is far more than a decorative textile. It is a woven invocation—an echo of earthbound rituals and celestial dreams. With its vibrant palette, archaic symbolism, and bold symmetry, it bridges the realms of art, ancestry, and spirit, offering warmth, wonder, and a thread back to the soul of Anatolia.

• Abrash.
• Hand-knotted wool.
• Made in Turkey.
• Measures: 04'00 x 07'09.
• Date: 1960's. Mid-20th Century.