Study of a group of Mamluk and other East Mediterranean carpets revealed that all contained lac and one-third contained cochineal. The author postulates that a center, or centers, of production of urban carpets existed which used expensive dyes in the 15th and 16th centuries. In some Turkish carpet samples from the Seljuk period, and 16th and 17th century Anatolian carpets, the red was madder. A few compartment carpets and one para-Mamluk carpet also contained madder. -- AATA