Size :2.00m x 3.00m ( 6,56ft x 9,84ft ) Wool and cotton 100% hand knotted. The highest Quality of this style of carpet found in Turkey  This 'Badem' or Paisley Design is the oldest design found in carpets and was revered by the Sulatans'. On the gulf of Izmit, about 60 km east of Istanbul lies the Turkish town of Hereke, probably the best known centre for the production of both wool and silk carpets.  Hereke carpets with their sophisticated colour palette, intricate patterns and faultless workmanship have the reputation for being some of the finest workshop style carpets in the world. Originally produced for the Sultans of the Ottoman empire. Hereke carpet workshops were first estabilished by Sultan Abdul Mecid in 1891 to weave carpets of the highest quality for the palace only. Hereke has always made very fine carpets of wool,with cotton foundations, though it concentrates also on the finest and most expensive quality of pure silk carpets. Craftsmen and women are recruited, trained and employed for each stage of the carpet making process. These include the purchase of raw materials, sorting, carding, combing, spinning, plying, dyeing, designing, weaving, clipping and washing. Specialization allows each craft to be developed to the highest possible level. From the beginning the style of Hereke carpets was determined by the traditionally rich patterns of Ottoman carpets from the 16th and 17th centruies and inspired stylistically by Persian art of the same era. Natural bouqets, detailed florals and filigree-like patterns are traditional. The most skilled weavers work using the double knot (Giordes or Turkish knot) method to enable the precise execution of these detailed and elaborate designs.