Harald and Renate Bölmer helped to revive Turkish village weaving in the 1980s by reestablishing the use of natural dyes through The Natural Dye Research and Development Project. The dyes in over 300 old rugs and flatweaves and about 50 native plants were analyzed by Harald Bölmer using thin-layer chromatography. The Turkish weavers were instructed in proper wool preparation and natural dyeing in order to make rugs by the old methods.