The Turkish word "kilim" refers to a pileless rug made using one of several flat weaving methods.

The main difference between a kilim area rug and a pile rug is that kilim designs are made by interweaving the diversely colored wefts and warps, producing what is known as a flatweave. 

To prevent weakening the body of the rug with vertical slits, weavers pack the weft firmly to cover the warp fully and often prefer diagonal patterns. It creates solid and distinct patterns that weavers like making with greater creative freedom than a plain weave. This is another reason why kilims—even though they can also have floral designs—are so frequently linked with geometric patterns.