Carpets and other wool products were Albania’s second-most exported goods before communism ended. Albania once had 13 state-run factories that produced carpets, rugs, fez hats, folk costumes and other handicrafts. Kukes, a town northeast of the capital, Tirana, alone employed more than 1,200 women as weavers. Albanian carpets are best known for using red and black, the colors of the national flag. The Northern part of Albania is known for its distinctive palette that usually includes a particularly bright pink. The Southern part of Albania has many kilims that are two colors, red and blue or red and black.