Hereke is a town in Turkey, located near Istanbul. It is known for Hereke carpets. It was bounded to Gebze district until transferring to Körfez one in 1987 and had municipality until 2009.
Hereke Rugs have a very special place in the pantheon of Oriental Rugs. Hereke Rugs were made in the workshops of Sultan, Abdülmecid I for his massive Dolmabahçe palace on the Bosporus. As such Hereke represent the highest level of large Turkish carpets equaled only by the Kum Kapi Rugs which were generally smaller. The rug production started at the same time as the construction of the palace which was built from 1843 to 1856.
Hereke designs were not only inspired by the motifs and compositions of traditional Turkish carpets, but also by the more elaborate curvilinear motifs of Persia and Mameluke Egypt. Many designs reflected contemporary Western European tastes. The Usak medallion composition, used in Turkish rugs since the 16th century, was widely used at the Hereke factory. The intricacy of the designs and the sheer volume of knots needed made the construction of Hereke rugs a very lengthy process. The superlative quality of Hereke carpets was realized by combining the best carpet making techniques available, thus creating a new archetype.