A Carpet Educational

Carpets are an essential part of the culture of the Middle East, so we couldn’t really leave Turkey without getting a Carpet Educational!

We are sitting around Tribal Collections, listening to Ruth, who shares her love for carpets with us.  Originally from New Zealand, has spent more than 20 years in Turkey engaged in the business of trading carpets.  She and her business partners spread out their carpets for us to enjoy, while she begins her stories.She tells us, carpets were generally made by women.  Often, they formed part of her dowry and her chances of landing a ‘good catch’ rested on her ability to weave a good carpet.   The Turkish carpets are bold and geometric as opposed to the Persian carpets which may have more scrolling. 

We learn how to tell one carpet from another.  People are always concerned with how many knots there are per inch, but the reality is that each village might have a different sized knot, so this comparison only works if you are comparing like with like.  The motifs and designs may not always have meaning.  They have been handed down from one generation to the next, and the women weaving the carpets today may not necessarily know what they once signified.  

Buying a carpet is very much an affair of the

heart.  In the end, you must just buy what you love.   Lying down on the carpet and getting a feel for its softness is one way to tell a good carpet.  Many people will sit on a chair and choose a carpet as they are laid out before them, but this is not how you go about it.  Try before you buy.  Be totally engaged in the process, as my friend Yvonne demonstrates here!   As with anything in life, looks can often be deceptive and all that glitters is not gold! 

Yvonne ends up with a tribal carpet which is my favourite type of carpet too.  The beauty of a tribal carpet is that it is woven by women on the move.  Women who don’t really care about perfection.  Often, she might change her mind about the colours she is using, there may be variations in the pattern, implying she is a spontaneous woman, in touch with her feelings.  It all also implies, she doesn’t give a damn what other people think!  She doesn’t care about the norms imposed by society and is just guided by her innermost feelings. 

A great way to live don’t you think?

Sadly, this nomadic tradition is slowly being lost as tribal life is replaced with city dwelling.  I have not done much shopping so far, and decide to purchase my Middle Eastern souvenir in Goreme. I purchase a baby sling, which would look lovely on a wall somewhere in my house, together with all the other treasures I’ve brought back over the years, from distant places.  These slings, once worn across a women’s back are no longer being made.  I think it will be a wonderful memento of my journey through the Middle East.

 People who are sensible about love are incapable of it.  ~Douglas Yates