Syrian Tapestry

Large square cover made of silk and metallic thread. It is decorated in a concentric design of scalop- edged squares, resulting in alternating borders of metallic silver and red and yellow silk. Each border contains further geometrics while at the center the corner triangles surround a diamond shaped core with the word Lebanon, indicating it was made for the Lebanese market.

The design is executed in tapestry weave technique perfected in the city of Aleppo. The colloquially known name for it is Zok after a famous local weaver.It is similar to the technique used for killim rugs; over a warp foundation the weft is woven  discontinuously, resulting in blocs of colors that are loosely connected by the warp. Woolen fabrics were also woven in Lebanon, Egypt and other parts of Syria.