History

 

The DOBAG project takes shape...

To this day the founder and most important person of the DOBAG project is Dr. Harald Böhmer. In 1960 he began to teach chemistry and biology in the German School in Istanbul. Very soon he and his wife became fascinated by the beautiful antique carpets in Istanbuls museums but at the same time they were very disappointed by the current carpet production. At the beginning of their second stay in Istanbul in 1976 Dr. Böhmer began to analyse the colours of antique carpets using the new thin-layer chromatography technique. More and more he focused on Anatolian village rugs and in the end of his second stay he looked for means of putting the results of his research into practise. After having been appointed by the German Development Service he was able to start the DOBAG project -"Dogal Boya Arastirma ve Gelistirme Projesi" - the Natural Dye Research and Development Project, in cooperation with Marmara University Istanbul.

 

 

Dr. Harald Böhmer delivering the largest DOBAG- carpet to the British Museum in London.  

 

 

 

The beginning ...

 

Firstly the dye recipes had to be reconstructed. As the old recipes were no longer in use and since there were no written instructions, the reconstruction was hard work. Nevertheless the first dyeing demonstrations were able to take place in a number of villages in the Ayvacik area in 1981. A lot of persuasion, dyeing courses and consultations was however necessary before the first DOBAG carpet finally was woven. A long and unbroken weaving tradition had been crucial in choosing this particular region. The same conditions existed in the Yuntdag, south of Bergama, where a second cooperative, the first women-only cooperative in Turkey was able to be incorporated int the DOBAG-project.

 

  

Red dye from dried madder root (Rubia tinctorum), yellow dye from the wild chamomile (Anthemis chia) and others, blue dye from the leaves of the indigo plant (isatis tinctoria) and black dye from the bark of the knobbly oak (Quercus macrolepis) are the basic colours for all DOBAG carpets.  

 

 

 


 

The shining, bright DOBAG colours are neither bleached nor chemically washed. Since 1983 Prof. Dr. Serife Atlihan has been responsible for quality control at Marmara University and professional assistance for women weavers.

DOBAG carpets are produced exclusively for export in order to avoid intermediate trade and to assure that the bulk of the profit goes directly to the villagers. DOBAG carpets are exported to the US, Australia, Japan and Norway and now enjoy a fine reputation around the world. This internet presentation hopes that by publishing the project in Germany it will contribute further to the reputation of these beautiful carpets. 

This DOBAG leather tag on every DOBAG carpet guarantees that a quality check has been carried out.