Carpets unfurled; a kaleidoscope of color (Asia)

If you’ve been to the Jade shop or tea ceremony in China, the Argan oil store in Morocco or any of the other shop/display traps around the world, you’ve seen this sort of thing before.

The tour

Upon entering, you usually get a demonstration of how the weavers work. After that they show how the silk is taken from the silkworms, how they dye the materials, etc.  They’ll show you women at looms making rugs of different styles.

The unfurling

Next, they’ll take you to a large room, give you some Turkish coffee or tea (yum!) and seat. There they’ll tell you about various carpets as they take them out and unfurl them on the floor.   They’ll discuss the materials as well as the patterns and symbolism and the tribes that make them.  There are rugs of all sizes. The smallest are tiny ones of superfine silk that are mere decorations and smaller than a foot square but full of amazing detail. The largest are sized for large rooms.

As the show progresses, the previously tightly rolled carpets uncoil onto the floor. One by one they stack on top of another in a colorful, ever-changing multi-layer mosaic. Some are unrolled on the ground elegantly, others snapped into the air to unfurl and then drop down to land on others.  They’ll place them in different angles so many are still slightly viewable even after dozens and dozens of carpets are out there. This way you can point to the one you want at the end.

It’s like the game

The above is what it looks like towards the end of a carpet demonstration in Istanbul.  It’s nearly exactly like the board game named Marrakesh. In the game, you lay your color carpets on the game board, stacking them on top of one another until the board is many layers deep in some areas. (It’s a fun game and there’s a link below if you are interested.)

Shopping

And then if you want a carpet the bargaining begins.  It is a good idea to go to at least three shops before actually buying anything as it is difficult to know what a fair price is given all the variations in the count of knots and different materials and patterns.

A few people on the trip with me bought a carpet, but most of us settled for mini carpet bookmarks like these. These are cheap and make great gifts.  I gave several away when I returned, they were available all over the country in many different patterns.

Pro tip: if you want a carpet you see, even in a different color, remember where it is buried on the floor. This way you can show the sales people, as an example. If it’s too expensive, they can suggest similar looking alternatives.

Happy travels!