Turkish Delights - Flying carpet from Istanbul

Its inevitable. Anyone who has been to Turkey must at least buy one Turkish rug, be it carpet, kilim or both.You may make a solemn promise not to be influenced by the oh so friendly carpet sellers but no matter how defiant you are, you will always buy them eventually.  I dare you to prove me wrong! 

What is it about carpets that tickle everybody's fancies?? After all, it's just a piece of cloth that you put on the floor or wall and then, forget completely about it,right? Or..is it really that simple? 

Today i had a lesson on Turkish carpet which i hope to share with you, so that you'll know what to look for when that special day arrives for you to claim your 1st piece. You'd probably knew by now how to look behind a carpet and count the knots. The higher the counts the better,right? Wrong! And you'd probably knew already that a good carpet would have that luster and shine.A better shine and luster would indicate a better carpet,right? Wrong again! And...isn't the softest and lightest silk carpet the best among all? Emm...think again, my dear readers!! The hint here is....unlearn and re-learn.

Today, you'll have to forget everything that you've learnt about carpet and re-learn again. You'll be shocked to learn that your normal standard and guidelines in choosing a good carpet is not accurate, reliable  and applicable anymore.

First, let us understand what and why are carpets created. In turkey, most people in the villages or provinces rear lamb and other animals, apart from the usual farming activities. After the meats are eaten or sold off, they have to make full use of other parts of the animals. The skin are of course turned into those soft and beautiful leather products such as jackets, bags and shoes.And please be informed that China is the biggest buyer of Turkish leathers. So much so that even the Turkish leather manufacturers are finding it difficult to buy Turkish leather now.

The wools are spun to make into yarn or thread for clothes, bags and rugs (carpets and kilims). These wools are spunned by hand,so that's why the yarns are quite thick. there is so much that the fingers can do! Hence, handmade carpets would have a bigger threads or knots at the back of it. I know, we've been taught for centuries that the smaller is the knots at the back, the better. we've been told to see if its like a tapestry behind the carpet. So, that mean, if the thread or knots behind the carpet is so tiny and fine....yes...you guessed it...it's machine made!Forget about what the salesman said about tiny finger of a child spinning them. There goes one myth! 

Being human, we always think that perfect finish is always the best. We are always attracted to the carpets that seems perfect in design, shape, co-ordination, shine and luster. In fact, that's why human created machine to produce all these near perfect carpets. Handmade carpets are normally trimmed by hand as they are being knotted and tufted. In doing so, the finished piece would inevitably be of "uneven" texture. In other words, handmade carpets seldom have that super-shine and super-luster look or finish. They will eventually be heavier than most machine-made carpets. And especially so for Turkish carpets since they are normally double-knotted as compared to their Persian cousins. So..there goes another myth.

Let's talk about the color of the carpets. The people making the carpets in the villages are normally not exposed to chemical dyes. They always use things which are available locally to them. Hence, they will only use organic dyes from vegetables or fruits. Think of good paintings that use natural paints. The paints (or colors) will get better and more intense and stable with time as the dyes stabilise itself. The same will happen with handmade carpets of natural dyes. The color and design will get better over time and that explains why handmade carpets of more than 50 or 100 years still maintains its color and beauty over time. 

Silk carpet? Ohh..who doesn't wanna own this exquisite piece of art? That'll be the "piece de resistance" and we should all try to have at least one of these magnificent "object of desire". When buying your silk carpet in Turkey, be very careful with the definition of "silk". Silk could be pure natural silk, mercerized silk, combination silk and/or manufactured silk. 

To get pure natural silk carpet in Turkey is extremely rare and most times, these so called silk carpets are "mercerized silk" that came from China. Pure natural silk carpet would feel heavier as compared to the "mixed silk". Try to do this test to see if its pure silk but ask for permission from the shopkeepers first before you try. If he knew that the silk is not natural, he'll turn white or the shop might catch fire ha ha. Light one piece  of the fringe of the carpet. If the fume or smoke is black on top, its not pure silk. If the smoke emits a synthetic smell, its not pure silk. Pure silk will have clean white smoke and there is no stringy synthetic 'melt' from the burnt fringe. Good Luck with it! 

Turkish rugs. There are carpets (tufted) and there are kilims (non-tufted). The tribal designs are the exquisite pieces and are a challenge to identify the best that caught your eyes.

Do you believe in "Flying carpet"? There it is......

This is not a Turkish carpet! It's actually an 80 year old Tabrez (Persian) carpet. Look at the magnificent colors and conditions    of this piece. If and when you get a good handmade natural carpet, your 'heirloom' would remain in pristine condition for many generations to admire and appreciate. A wonderful "wool on cotton"masterpiece.  

The Turks call this a seccede (sejede) size and design. This is normally used as a prayer mat but can be put elsewhere or on the wall. Look at the natural brown color in the centre which could have come from a tree or fruit. No two pieces can be the same due to the inconsistency of the natural dye.The design incorporate a chandelier which form a big part of the Turks's life.  

Another secede design and size which also incorporate a chandelier design. 

The gorgeous green color on this "wool on cotton" carpet originated from a chestnut tree! This piece is normally hang on the wall for the beauty to really "come out".   

Another chandelier design carpet but with intricate detailing on the border .

A large silk on cotton piece but the photo did not do justice to this piece. It has a beautiful blue centrepiece accompanied by a bouquet. And of course, the color will change its hue as you move around it.

A tribal rug from the Kurdistan region. It is so unique and would add colors to any part of your home

Another tribal rug from Kurdistan, spun from wool yarn and may have taken months for the maker to finish the piece. Look at its unusual design and colors.

I am sure you can 'feel' how soft this "silk on silk" carpet is. It is really gorgeous and cost quite a lot,too. But one only need to get one good piece like this and that's it....you're done for life. There was however, one expat who actually acquired 17 pieces of carpets here before he was eventually transferred to another country! When you have acquired the taste for it, it'll grow on you and nothing will make you happier than to look at all these beauties.

Another beautiful design of "wool on cotton" carpet. The contrasting colors make it even more interesting and exciting.

This is another "silk on cotton" carpet but I really think the design is "too busy" or "too crowded". Maybe you might have a different opinion,huh?

My all time favorite and I'd always thought this design is truly Turkish until I was told that it actually originated from the border of Iran. This "1001 nights" design are so called because each small rectangle in the design depicts a night out of the 1001 nights legend. Meaning, each rectangle tells a different story as according to the 1001 nights legend. 

1001 nights "silk on cotton" carpet. This truly is a beautiful piece and I wish I could have it for my private collection. I already have a place for it in my mind and in my house,really! If only the price could match my fantasy!!! A good 1001 nights silk carpet could fetch more than US$20,000 a piece, depending on various factors. But on the display of any good carpet shops, you will always see this design being hung as a centerpiece...and it sure will temp you to go inside the shop to see it.

A very unique Anatolian kilim made of organic wool. The pastel spring color is so beautiful and could be put anywhere you want in your house or office. You sure will be the envy of many and it sure will be a conversation topic on many occasions. Someone told me once that, money one can find....but good artifacts or products you can't find all the time. This is one such product that one should not miss !

So, how do you make sure that you're going home with real, authentic Turkish carpets? Get a reliable seller, and do a research on it. I found a  few sellers who were willing to share their knowledge and I would seek them whenever I want to buy a piece. 

One seller that I discovered recently even had a showroom in my country a few years back. So it seems that almost all tourists from my country would flock to his shop as they feel secure in knowing that what they bought from him are genuine and authentic enough and they know that they can always go back to him should there be any problem. His clients are mostly people from all walks of life and I feel secure and happy enough to deal with him because I could see that he is very passionate with his pieces and loves what he is doing. The photos in this post were taken from his shop and you can browse more on his website CLICK HERE and CLICK HERE.  

  

Simsek's store in the Grand Bazaar. He would personally go to the provinces to collect the rugs and that explains why his collections are unique and exquisite. He can tell you more of the pieces over cay or turkish kahve without any obligation whatsoever. It is so important for you to understand about Turkish carpets before you buy them. Then, you'll be happier with your purchases.

Trying to figure out which 1001 nights is better. He also showed me "Made in China" 1001 nights as compared to Turkish made 1001 nights. The former are lighter, shinier and has more luster as explained in this posting. Frankly, before meeting Simsek, my natural tendency was to  for the former. Now I know better.

This tribal rug is so irresistible.....should I get one for myself?? It'll look gorgeous in the Study.....but hey, I don't have a Study !

Ohh....my object of desire.....1001 nights......now...which bank should I break ???

In Turkey, most young ladies in the villages would make a carpet as their dowry when they get married. Normally, these are in a form of a prayer mat but they also do other type of rugs. And each province will have their unique design or colors to signify their culture or even historical events. So..expect to hear Hereke, Ousak, Kayseri, Anatolian, Konya rugs and others when you scout for your pieces. And while you are at it...learn some history behind the pieces 'cos you are expected to repeat them when you invite your guests to view your beautiful Turkish carpets...isn't that fun?? So..have you got yours, yet?

Coming Soon : Look out for my posting on "Turkish Porcelain".......Stay Tuned......