The district of Bayat in Afyonkarahisar, known for its rugs, showcased its hand-woven, naturally dyed rugs at the “World Peace” conference held at KU Leuven University.
Organized by KULTUR – KU Leuven Turkish Student Association and officially sponsored by EUROVIA, the conference and reception took place in one of the university’s most prestigious and historic halls. At the reception, special hand-woven rugs brought from Bayat and the district’s rich history were presented to Belgians and international participants.
Oğuzhan Bahadır ARI, President of KULTUR and founder of EUROVIA, emphasized the cultural importance of rugs in passing on heritage to future generations. He highlighted that each hand-woven rug carries a story, representing the emotions and memories of Turkish women—woven with both sorrow and joy, longing and reunion. He underlined that these rugs are perhaps the most meaningful gifts inherited by young girls from their ancestors.
Starting his speech with the history of the Bayat Tribe, ARI said:
“Bayat is one of the oldest settlements in Afyonkarahisar. The Bayat Tribe, one of the 24 Oghuz tribes, means ‘rich, strong, noble, rooted.’ Throughout history, the tribe has produced many statesmen, cultural, literary, and spiritual figures including Dede Korkut, Mahmud al-Kashgari, Fuzuli, Kara Yülük Osman Bey, and Lieutenant Colonel Arif Bey. The tribe, which values its culture and history, has woven these elements into their rugs. Our hand-woven rugs, crafted with natural dyes, are made using shuttle or weft balls. What makes a Bayat rug special is the motifs created by the hands that weave it—each motif reflects emotions such as pain, joy, love, separation, birth, death, victory, and defeat. For example, an earring or hair tie motif in a rug indicates a young girl’s desire to marry. The ram’s horn represents abundance and heroism, the tree of life symbolizes immortality of lineage, the bird represents family and fertility, and the hook motif wards off evil. Not only motifs but colors also tell stories.”
Hand-woven rugs, which describe the story of a nation finding its homeland, frequently feature the “tent” motif, symbolizing the Turkish people’s transition to a settled life. Rugs also highlight the importance of women in Turkish society.
Pointing to a rug hanging on the wall, ARI continued:
“This rug has a unique story—it tells the tale of a Turkmen bride and her mother-in-law. As the story goes: A Turkmen bride weaves a beautiful rug to support her husband. The mother-in-law, impressed, asks for it as a gift. When the bride refuses, the mother-in-law insists. The bride, annoyed, throws a thorny plant called ‘bitirak’ onto the rug in her mother-in-law’s room. The mother-in-law steps on it barefoot and in pain, throws the rug at the bride’s face, leaving a lasting scar. Since then, the rug has been called ‘Bitiraklı Rug.’ The central motifs represent the bitirak plant and a scorpion, which symbolizes poison and pain, while the surrounding ‘hands-on-hips’ figures represent the mother-in-law. This Turkmen rug embodies the complex emotions between bride and mother-in-law.”
ARI also noted the historical significance of the building where the event took place, mentioning that King Philippe of Belgium, Pope Francis, and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel had also given speeches there.
He extended his gratitude to:
• Former Turkish Minister of Forestry and Water Affairs Veysel EROĞLU,
• Governor of Afyonkarahisar Kübra GÜRAN YIĞITBAŞI,
• Mayor of Afyonkarahisar Burcu KÖKSAL,
• Bayat District Governor Osman Emre ÖZTÜRK,
• Afyonkarahisar MPs Ali ÖZKAYA, İbrahim YURDUNUSEVEN, and Hasan ARSLAN,
• Brussels Consul General Onur SEVİM,
• Turkish Education Counselor in Brussels Hümeyra ALTUNTAŞ KIRAN.
Former Mayor of Bayat, Mustafa ARI, also spoke about the rugs:
“Rugs woven by girls from Bayat are well-known both in Turkiye and around the world. What makes them unique is the use of natural dyes. These rugs become shinier and more beautiful with use, making aged rugs more valuable. We’re honored to present our handcrafted, naturally dyed rugs at KU Leuven, one of Europe’s most prestigious universities. Bayat rugs received great interest at the World Peace-themed conference attended by hundreds of guests.”
The event also hosted notable attendees, including:
• Ambassador of Turkmenistan Sapar Palvanov and senior diplomats,
• Advisors from the Azerbaijani Embassy,
• Representatives from the European External Action Service (EEAS),
• Belgian parliamentarians,
• KU Leuven administration,
• Professors from various universities in Belgium and Turkiye,
• High-level officials from the Municipality of Schaerbeek,
• The President of the International Police Association (IPA) Brussels-Brabant,
• Belgian Azerbaijani Student Association,
• Representatives from the Belgian Islamic Federation,
• Turkish World expert Derya SOYSAL,
• Former Mayor of Bayat Mustafa ARI,
• Media outlets like Diplomatic World, EU Reporter, Bruxelles Korner, and Kazinform.
At the end of the conference, special thanks were given to Ambassador Sapar Palvanov for his speech on world peace.
Ambassador Palvanov expressed his appreciation to KULTUR President Oğuzhan Bahadır ARI and the dedicated KULTUR team members Berfin, Akasya, Dilara, Sefer, Sema, Beyza, Atilla, Onur, Zozan, and Burhan, and took a commemorative photo with the student association.
