Traces of Woven Mat Discovered in Turkey

KAYSERI, TURKEY—Hürriyet Daily News reports that fragments of a 4,300-year-old mat made of braided fine reed fibers has been uncovered at the Kültepe Kaniş Karum ruins in central Anatolia. The site consists of the remains of the first city founded by the Hittites in Anatolia, and the trade center, or karum, below it, including administrative buildings, religious buildings, houses, shops, and workshops. The surviving mat fibers are less than 0.1 inch thick. “We are trying to remove traces of it, almost like dust,” explained Fikri Kulakoğlu of Ankara University. Yet the texture of the mat, its clearly woven pattern, and a tassel are visible, he added. To read about a cache of 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets uncovered at Kültepe, go to "Assyrian Women of Letters."