5-century old Uşak carpet returned home

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, in a post on his social media account, said, "The 5-century-old Uşak carpet, the carrier of Ottoman craftsmanship, returned to its birthplace after a 30-year disappearance."
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🔹 AA Live for instant developmentsIn his post, Ersoy stated that they are proud to bring this elegant carpet, which was woven stitch by stitch in Uşak centuries ago, back to its rightful place, just like every value that carries the spirit of these lands, and noted the following:
"This is not just a carpet, it is the silent but profound return of our culture, memory and elegance. I would like to thank the Italian citizen Adrian Stefan Ionescu, who voluntarily returned the carpet to our country, for his sensitivity and sensitivity to the historical heritage. May it be blessed."
Italian collector returns to country after voluntary repatriationThe nearly five-century-old Uşak carpet, the carrier of Ottoman craftsmanship, returned to its birthplace after a 30-year disappearance.
This elegant carpet, woven knot by knot in Uşak centuries ago, like every value that carries the spirit of these lands, was sent to its place of origin… pic.twitter.com/PR8HAnzB0a
— Mehmet Nuri Ersoy (@MehmetNuriErsoy) July 6, 2025
In a statement made by the Ministry on the same subject, it was stated that the rare carpet woven in Uşak, one of the examples of Ottoman carpet weaving, was discovered in a collection abroad after being lost for many years.
The statement said that the carpet came to light in the private collection of Italian citizen Adrian Stefan Ionescu, and that the collector purchased the work from the deceased Italian art enthusiast Ermininio Bottini.
The statement stated that Ionescu noticed that the carpet matched the work with the inventory number "06.456" in Suzan Bayraktaroğlu's book "Foundation Carpets" and added, "When he learned that it belonged to Türkiye, he took action voluntarily for its return without making any demands."
It went through the restoration processThe statement pointed out that the carpet, which draws attention with its patterns, colors and workmanship, with over a thousand knots crammed into even a small square, revealed that it was woven in Uşak with its stylistic features.
Regarding the details of the carpet, the following was noted:
"The carpet, which has a dominant navy blue background and patterns in pastel red, yellow and off-white tones, creates a composition of large medallions created with stylized naturalistic flowers.
After the completion of the procedures, the carpet was brought to Türkiye and delivered to the Ankara Foundation Works Museum."
In the statement, it was stated that in old photographs, one of the borders of the carpet was cut and some parts were seriously damaged. It was emphasized that after it reached Türkiye, the missing parts were completed with the restoration carried out and the composition was restored to its original state.
In the statement, it was stated that the unique carpet, which reflects the aesthetic understanding and craftsmanship skills of a period, was returned to its homeland and reintroduced to the cultural heritage.
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