Carpets unfurled in Istanbul, Turkey

This is what it looks like towards the end of a carpet demonstration in Istanbul.  It’s nearly exactly like the board game named Marrakesh – where 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 at the bottom if you are interested.)

Turns out, that game mechanic is directly based on what happens when you go to see how carpets are made in Turkey.  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.

Upon entering, you usually get a demonstration of how the weavers work, how the silk is taken from the silkworms, how they dye the materials, etc.  Next, they’ll take you to a large room, give you some Turkish coffee or tea (yum!), and 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, including super fine silk ones that are mere decorations and smaller than a foot square but full of amazing detail.

As the show progresses, the previously tightly rolled carpets uncoil onto the floor, one 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.

And then if you want a carpet the bargaining begins.  It is a good idea to go to at least 3 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, that we could easily afford and take home.  I gave several away when I returned, they were available all over the country in many different patterns.

In case you are interested, this is the board game, which I have and is fun. Click the pic for more.

Happy travels!