Ottoman-era Hereke carpet to be restored in Istanbul

The historic Hereke carpet will be restored in Istanbul in accordance with the protocol signed between the Carnegie Foundation which manages the Peace Palace in The Hague, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye.

The Ottoman Empire presented the carpet, measuring 161.5 square meters (1,738 square feet) and weighing over 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds), to the Peace Palace in 1911, serving as the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, located in the Hague, the Netherlands.

The removal ceremony of the carpet from the Japanese Room at the Peace Palace was attended by Selcuk Unal, the Turkish ambassador in the Hague, Pinar Bilgen Ermis, the culture and promotion counselor, Erik Weststrate, European director responsible for Türkiye, and Jan Pieter Hendrik Donner, the director of the Carnegie Foundation.

“For over a century, the Hereke carpet, gifted in 1911, has witnessed countless significant peace agreements and negotiations,” Unal said during the removal ceremony of the carpet – an enduring symbol of Turkish-Dutch friendship.

“The historical support of our ancestors with a foreseeing vision for international peace carries an important message for us today,” he added.

The Carnegie Foundation stated that once the restoration is finished, the carpet will return to the palace.

The entire restoration process is being documented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Dutch Embassy in Ankara.

*Writing by Necva Tastan in Istanbul