Our last stop while in Turkey was to a Turkish carpet mill. Rah Rah and I really didn't know what to expect. In all honesty, the stop really didn't interest us that much. We were buzzing from our biblical tour and really were impartial about the stop.
A large building on the side of the road in the middle of really no where, we had no idea what we were in store for. Upon entering, we saw several large and beautiful carpets hanging on the wall in the entrance of the building. We also saw a couple of women working tirelessly at their looms.
The owner of the establishment greeted us all and started his tour with a presentation on how they extract the silk from the silk worm cocoons. With effort, eventually turning a basket of cocoons into a beautiful carpet like this.
First, they "cook" the cocoons in hot water.
Then they take a small hand held, broom like tool and 'sweep' it over the bobbing cocoons. This small broom roughs the outside of the cocoons and snags the end of the silk threat in order the begin unraveling the cocoons.
Once the ends are established, they are fed into the eye of the reel.
The reel is turned and the cocoons begin jumping in the water like little Mexican jumping beans as they are unraveled.
Looking closely, you can see the individual strands being unraveled and spun into a thread.
Slowly, the cocoons begin shrinking as they are unraveled.
And left over is the shell of the cocoon and the dead little bug inside.
Amazing right!?!
So once they have gathered all of the silk, dyed it and prepared it, village girls from all over come and hand knot the silk threads on their looms. Turkish carpets are actually double knotted, which sets them apart from other carpets.
Knot by knot they tie and cut, tie and cut each piece of silk. Different colors. Counting and changing colors as they follow the pattern.
Hunched over.
Lord how I wanted to hand them the number of my chiropractor.
Methodically knotting knot after knot - over and over.
Silk on silk carpets intended for the floor typically have 100 knots per square centimeter. Finer silk on silk carpets intended for wall tapestries can have up to 280 knots per square centimeter. The average sized carpet can take a village girl six months to make.
Crazy!
Once we had finished seeing how the rugs were made, we followed the owner downstairs into a showroom for a carpet demonstration.
The room was lined with beautiful tapestries.
Our second lesson was about hot to tell the difference between a silk carpet and a cotton, wool or other synthetic fibered carpet. High quality silk rugs are not only very thin and pliable, but also
incredibly detailed due to some very high knot counts per square inch.
A true silk carpet is very soft to the touch - feels like silk.
Most notably, a real silk carpet will look different from every angle. The colors will almost change in shade and depth when you look at the carpet from different angles and sides of the carpet. They shine in the light - beautiful!
I loved the salmon colors in this particular one.
Even the fringe was silk.
Carpet after carpet, the young men displayed the carpets to us. Demonstrating them from one angle and then flipping them in the air so we view them from the other side and watch the silk change in the light.
Some of the carpet patterns were amazing! So detailed and intricate.
Layer after layer.
About this stage in the presentation, Rah Rah and I were discussing the idea of possibly getting a carpet as a souvenir of our trip. Something we could treasure as a memento of our time in Turkey. We were discussing that it might be a perfect, once-in-a-life-time purchase.
Once the demonstration was over, we were invited to explore all of the different rooms and shop for carpets. Gentlemen entered offering us wine, water and tea. We began browsing as did the other people on our tour.
We were approached by a very friendly gentleman and we mentioned that we were interested in purchasing a carpet. We were impressed with the silk on silk carpets and if we were going to splurge, might as well get the real deal! He asked us what colors we preferred and asked us to choose a size or example of one we liked.
Rah Rah pointed to a beautiful example hanging on the wall behind were we sat for the demonstration. And then we found out that a carpet like the ones they had been showing us cost between $5,000 - $7,500.
hahahahahaha - NO!!!
Lesson 1 in traveling to Turkey - If you visit a carpet establishment as part of a tour... keep your mouth shut and just watch. Exit for the tour bus when the demonstration is over. Unless you have ten grand to blow on a carpet, keep your mouth shut. Once you open your mouth, you are cooked, done, a sucker who will be swallowed up by the most persuasive salesmen you have ever witnessed in your life! Just keep quiet.
As Rah Rah and I gasped and thanked the man for his time, we started to turn and walk away but were instead being told they had many carpets and surely they could find one for us. We then made the second mistake of allowing the man to take us to two other rooms to look at more selections of carpets.
Still priced in the thousands of dollars, we were trying to politely let the gentleman know we could not afford any of them. They were not taking 'No' for an answer. The pressure was getting thick.
Attempting to turn on our heels, the man asked Rah Rah what her budget was. Another mistake. We admitted that our budget was a modest $400. We were then led into another room where he assured us that he could find us something in our price range.
And he did just that.
Behold a $400, silk on silk... PLACE MAT!
A silk on silk sheet of paper sized place mat for the lovely price of $400.
I almost fell over and turned to Rah Rah and said, "Handy Man would kill me if I dropped $400 on a place mat. No, I take that back. Handy Man would divorce me if I spent $400 on that" I tapped out.
Beautiful - yes
But ridiculous.
We started walking out of the room and into the hall to find our fellow tour group members. There was no one from our tour anywhere to be seen. Talking quietly and questioning each other on where everyone had gone, we were approached by the owner. The same gentleman who had given us the demonstrations and tour of his establishment. He said he was going to personally find a carpet that would suit our budget. Reluctant and trying to kindly reject his offer we found ourselves shuttled into yet another room. Young men rapidly unrolling carpets at our feet. Other men offering us more wine.
And suddenly the intimidation factor was very high. Silent little alarms were going off in our heads as we realized we did not know where the other tour members were, we could not find our tour guide, we were in a room all alone with at least 6 Turkish men that had strategically placed themselves between us and the door as they persistently tried to sell us a carpet.
Their sales tactics were well calculated. Give an entertaining display. Let the wine flow freely. Start picking off individuals from the main group until all are divided. Usher into private rooms. Talk fast. Overstimulate with several carpets. Sell Baby Sell.
Seeing Rah Rah was on the verge of hyperventilating, I grabbed Rah Rah by the hand and put my best I-am-the-big-sister-we-aren't-buying-a-damn-rug-so-get-the-F-out-of-my-way-while-we-leave-this-joint face on and with broad shoulders found our way out of the door and back into the empty hall.
One turn around a corner on our search for the exit, we found a mother-daughter pair with the same overwhelming caged expression on their faces. We instantly knew we were all feeling the same and decided that safety in numbers was best and together made a mission for the door. Our tour guide still no where to be seen.
Oh those sneaky, sneaky carpet guys.
Near the end of the main hall there was a flight of stairs to the left (the same ones we came DOWN and into the carpet rooms) and then there was a little "Exit" sign pointing right and leading to another set of stairs leading down. The other two ladies began proceeding to the right following the exit sign.
Now I might not have a lot of street cred, but I do know that if I came DOWN stairs after entering the building to get to my current location... then one must go UP to get back to that location and the exit. Unfortunately, the mother-daughter pair insisted on following directions and the strategically placed "Exit" signs. Overwhelmed, they were blinded to reason that the exit was UP and not further down into the building.
Keeping in mind safety in numbers - Rah Rah and I accompanied the mother-daughter duo deeper into the carpet labyrinth. Deeper down and winding through poorly lit hallways. Rah Rah and I exchanging worried glances. Our inner voices screaming "What the hell are you doing???"
One more time I attempted to coax the ladies to return the way we had just came.
But then another cute little "Exit"sign and arrow would appear. Blinding all logical reason and prompting the ladies DOWN yet another set of stairs.
I am sure the back side said, "This way to kidnapper's office."
For a few minutes there was nothing but empty, poorly lit halls and stair cases. Then one more turn and we walked into an enormous room of jewelry store display cases and four or five men dressed in suits behind them. Across the room was another little "Exit" sign and focusing on it I herded the ladies in its direction. As we passed by the lit cases, loose gems galore. Diamonds, emeralds and rubies... most loose and some set in intricately beautiful necklace and ring settings.
Passing the sign we turned the corner and entered another display room filled with more jewelry. We began passing through room after room filled with gold jewelry, and then white gold jewelry. Each room lined in display cases accompanied by men in suits asking if we wanted to take a closer look at something more specific. The mother, an older woman in her 70's, began fidgeting and I could tell she was getting scared. She picked up her pace, clenched her purse tight and grabbed her daughters arm.
We passed through the silver rooms and I whispered to Rah Rah, "I have absolutely no sence of direction any more and have no idea where we are in this building at this point." She nodded and agreed with me. It was very intimidating.
Eventually, we found a staircase leading UP! Finally we were headed UP! Into another silver room and then a room full of watches. UP more stairs. A room of less fancy silver jewelry. The leather room. UP more stairs. The purse room. UP. UP. UP. Room after room we winded our way back up and by the time we got to the room of chatchky souvenirs I boldly stated with a pep in my step, "Ladies, I think we are almost out!"
And then there was a door. Sunlight shining between the floor and the door. We opened it and WE WERE OUT!
Out of the carpet labyrinth.
Amen!
We climbed on our bus relieved to see some of our fellow tour members. We sat in our seats and Rah Rah turned to me and said, "I am pretty sure we were in the belly of the Turkish Mafia!"
All of those carpets. All of those gems. All of that Jewelry and leather and watches. Without a doubt millions and millions of dollars under that one roof. In the middle of nowhere. Along a highway in Turkey... Without a doubt there had to have been some pretty BIG weapons guarding all of that loot.
No doubt she was right.
I had never been so happy to be out of a place in my entire life. In all honesty, that one stop almost ruined my entire opinion of Turkey. As we drove back to the ship Rah Rah and I had to just recap the rest of our day in order to remember how beautiful the country was.
Lesson 2 of traveling to Turkey - avoid the Turkish carpet establishments all together.
Safe and back in our stateroom, this was what we needed to put the smile back on our faces!
