Carpet weavers in east Serbia won’t let old craft die out

In this photo taken Monday, Jan. 26, 2015, a woman stretches wool on a loom in the eastern Serbian town of Pirot. The carpet weaving in Pirot _ done only by local women and according to special rules _ is a centuries old tradition that is part of Serbia’s rich national heritage and one of the oldest Balkan crafts. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) In this photo taken Monday, Jan. 26, 2015, a woman stretches wool on a loom in the eastern Serbian town of Pirot. The carpet weaving in Pirot _ done only by local women and according to special rules _ is a centuries old tradition that is part of Serbia’s rich national heritage and one of the oldest Balkan crafts. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

By Associated Press February 9, 2015 2 min read

PIROT, Serbia (AP) – A Pirot carpet has magical powers, they say, its colorful patterns and symbols designed to bring luck and protect from evil. Nearly every home in this eastern Serbian town has one – big or small, rolled out on the floor, wrapped around the furniture or hung on the wall.

Yet Pirot’s centuries-old craft of carpet weaving is in danger of dying out and a group of women have been fighting to keep it alive.

Pirot carpet-weaving is “in the biggest crisis in its history … a rare craft on the verge of extinction,” the Lady’s Heart group says.

Famous for their beauty and part of Serbia’s rich heritage, Pirot carpets are made by local women from locally-bred wool according to special rules laid down for hundreds of years.

“It is a very slow process. It takes a long time to weave a Pirot carpet,” said Slavica Ciric, who launched the Lady’s Heart business several years ago with the help of the authorities and donors including USAID.