The Mamluk Dynasty, originally “slave-soldiers” of Turkic descent, came to power in Egypt  circa 1250  until 1517, they had established  carpet workshops in their capital, Cairo.  Their designs are quite complex, consisting of large medallions made up of intersecting compartments of various forms adapted from the great tradition of Islamic geometric ornament. The borders consisted of oblong medallions or cartouches.  Mamluk carpets are distinguished not only by their distinctive designs, but also by their lustrous wool, fine weave and soft, closely valued coloration dominated by pale greens, yellows and reds. A variant of the Mamluk production, sometimes termed “Para-Mamluk,” utilized allover patterns of smaller concentric hexagons, octagons, and squares – the so-called “Chessboard" carpets. These have been attributed to Damascus,  a major center in the Syrian portion of the Mamluk realm. The Ottomans conquered the Mamluk territories in 1517. Mamluk carpet production seems to have continued after the Ottoman takeover. In addition, the Ottoman court began to commission the production of carpets from the workshops of Cairo in a florid arabesque style. Known as “Cairene” carpets, they competed with the suave designs of contemporary Safavid Persia

Late 15th. Century Mamluk Rug Egypt/Cairo Textile Museum/ Washington DC.	Circa 1500 Mamluk Carpet Egypt/ Cairo Metropolitan Museum/ New York	15th. Century Mamluk Rug Islamic art Museum/ Istanbul

Late 16th. Century Mamluk Rug/ Syria Textile Museum / Washington/ DC

16th. Century Para-Mamluk Rug Philadelphia Museum of Art	15th. Century Para-Mamluk Rug Southeast Anatolia	Early 16th. Century Para Mamluk Rug Southeast Anatolia

Cairo was invaded 1517 by Ottoman's Sultan Selim I, rugs are woven  in Cairo and probably other cities as well  for ottoman courts and palaces.

Prayer rug, late 16th–early 17th century; Ottoman Egypt, probably Cairo Metropolitan Museum	Early 17th century; Ottoman Egypt, probably Cairo rug Metropolitan Museum	Second half of the16th. Century  Ottoman Egypt, Probably  Cairo rug Islamic Art Museum/Berlin

Transylvania   rugs are  mid 15th. to the end of the 18th. century  a classical groups ottoman Period carpets such as Ghirlandaio, Holbein, Ushak, Lotto, Selendi, Transylvanian, Kula and Ghiordes.

The Black Church - BRASOV Over 100 antique Ottoman rugs Click Here To see the Rugs	17th.C. Chintamani and Prayer  Design Transylvania Rug Probably woven West Anatolia/Selendi Hand craft Museum/Budapest	16th. Century Lotto Design Transylvania rug, Woven in West Anatolia/ Oushak Hand craft Museum/Budapest

Late 16th.Early 17th. Century Budapest rug, Probably  Woven West Anatolia Selendi area Hand craft Museum/Budapest	Late 16th.Early 17th. Century   Transylvania rug, Probably woven           West Anatolia/Manisa                              Art Collections Museum/Bukresh	Brukenthal Rug Beginning of 18th Century West Anatolia,    Ghiordes/Manisa                       Brukenthal Museum, Sibiu (Hermanstadt)

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