How to recognize an Oushak
Oushak (Uşak) is in western Turkey, and its rugs use the symmetric knot at low density, 30 to 80 per square inch, with a long, lustrous, loosely spun wool pile on a cotton or wool foundation. Antique Oushaks (pre‑1930) have large‑scale medallion or all‑over designs in apricot, gold, terracotta, green and ivory. Modern Oushaks, woven since the 1990s in Turkey and, in very large numbers, in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan in the Oushak style, are similar in look and softer still, and almost all are tea‑washed or overdyed to mute the colors. Sizes are big: 9×12 is a small one.
We collect Oushaks weekly from Manhasset, Sands Point, Roslyn, Old Westbury, Locust Valley, Cold Spring Harbor, Lloyd Harbor, Huntington Bay and the Hamptons, and increasingly from Garden City, Rockville Centre and Merrick as well.
- Origin
- Uşak, western Turkey; widely reproduced in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan
- Knot
- Symmetric; 30–80 kpsi
- Pile
- Long, lustrous, loosely spun wool
- Foundation
- Cotton or wool
- Dyes
- Soft, frequently tea‑washed or overdyed; unstable
- Our method
- Multi‑point dye test → gentle dusting → cold low‑agitation wash with stabilizer → clear rinse → centrifuge → directional groomed flat dry
