Turkish rugs!
What is the deal with Turkish rugs? I have always wondered what makes them different from other rugs....and why are they so expensive. Now I know.
In Ephesus we visited a "carpeteria." Sounds like cafeteria and in a way it was since we started our visit with a beautiful meal in the garden of the rug place. I think they discovered somewhere that people are much better shoppers when they have a full tummy. We had a nice lunch and the food was grilled in the outdoor oven near our tables.
After lunch we entered the carpeterium. There we saw women working on the rugs. The spokesperson for the event was a Turkish version of Gerorge Clooney. No kidding. I have a better picture on my camera to show the resemblence.....he said he wished he had a euro for ever time he was told that.
In the showroom we saw the silkworms and they demonstrated how they get the silk threads. I held a silk worm caccoon in my hand and the worm was jumping all around like a jumping bean. It is amazing and freaky. The caccoons are in a pot at hotwater where the woman would beat the water with a brush until the the threads start to come off. They are so thin and seem fragile but they are really strong. The threads are then spun together into thicker thread.
The women weaving sit on small benches where they are in front of a huge loom with a picture pinned upof the design they are making. It looks like just a cross stitch pattern. Some yarn is above and some skeins sit beside them on the bench. George CLooney explained the difference between cotton, silk and wool rugs and why some cost more than others. Everyone then went into the next room and when almost everyone left one of the ladies invited me to sit beside her. I thought it was to watch her closer but she handed me a piece of pink yarn and told me to weave it.....in her charade kind of way. So I took the yarn and she was very good at correcting me with her English "no no no" when I was heading in the wrong direction like under rather than over. I then slid the knot down and like a flash she had a knife hidden in her hand when she swiftly cut the thread off. That was one knot. Now I know why these rugsthey cost so much.
In the next room we were all told to sit on the benches around the room. The room had a large open areas on the floor. An amazing show with spectacular showmanship surrounded us. Carpets came flying in (almost literally ) while a team of maroon shirted men would enroll the rugs in perfectly choreographed routines. We were then served tea and told to crawl around on the rugs and feel them. I've got some good pictures from that. Suddenly, out of nowhere came the Turkish timeshare team. They were released into our midst like hungry dogs. They all spoke english and they were relentless. The opening line was "which one would you like?" The cheapest rug was about $350.00 and that was about the size you could put your pets water dish on. Prices went up from there to around 25,000 for the replica of Abraham Lincoln's office rug.
Rugs with saffron used in the dye were even more expensive. All the prices did include shipping to your door. Two people in our group bought the small rugs. They have you sign the back of your rug after purchasing so when it finally gets to your house you don't say, " thats not my rug!"
Other hand crafts in Ephesus were the pottery and elaborately knitted socks and slippers from the ladies that would come into town.
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