At Nomadic Vintage Rugs We hand-pick each rug from various vendors in Turkey, Morocco, and our Kurdish native region. In this part of the world,  hand-weaving rugs are still a primary source of income. With industrial machine-made rugs on the rise, it is becoming more difficult for these small communities to continue this art as a trade. Nedim wants to change this. He meets with the weavers, learns their stories, watches their process, and brings these beauties back to Portland, OR. 

Many of our rugs have passed on through generations, and they tell intricate stories of love, heartbreak, spiritual devotion, womanhood, manhood, and countless more. These stories are puzzled together through a discerning use of motifs and color combinations. When you come to our showroom, we decode these tales together over a warm tea.

Nedim Korkmaz comes from a long lineage of Kurdish nomadic craftspeople; a love for these beautiful rugs is ingrained in him. He is one of nine siblings, all born in a barn on a handwoven rug that their mom had made. In childhood, he would often sit at his mom’s side while she hand-wove rugs at the loom. Growing up with an intimate connection to these majestic rugs was an absolute gift.

Following a nomadic lifestyle, his family traveled east of Turkey, surrounded by nature, wild animals, and pure organic fruits. Their main source of income was shepherding sheep. Some seasons, his dad would have 150-200 sheep, and they would milk all the females one-by-one. They would sell fresh homemade cheese and, of course, the best quality wool for rug weaving.

It was the best childhood ever. Memories of a nomadic childhood are the most beautiful thing in his life and will always be cherished forever.

Today, Nedim weaves together his past with his present by selling handwoven vintage rugs from Turkey to his hometown in Portland, OR.

Image Credits: Mason Trinca @mason_trinca | www.masontrinca.com