Shopping for Oriental rugs - 12 december 2007  | | Galip Ceramic Dish |
This past year, during two separate trips, we visited both Morocco and Turkey. Both made us feel welcome: Moroccans and Turks were hospitable, generous, and uncommonly friendly: there was no language barrier as all Moroccans speak French fluently (my native language), and most Turks speak at least a little English; Arabic and Turkish are difficult languages, even a simple hello or thank you is difficult to master. Nothing binds more than a sincere smile, we received and gave a lot of those.
Before going to either country, I knew I wanted to buy at least one rug, so I checked prices here before I left: I went to stores and looked online. By the end of my research, I knew what a new 8x12 flat weave or pile rug could cost here, and I was actually looking forward to haggling with our hosts. I also found out which merchants in both countries have the best reputation and are the most reliable. I decided that, in the long run, what mattered most was loving what I bought.
In Morocco, I saw a contemporary Kilim I loved: the design was contemporary and the colors and size were just right for our dining-room; unlike Turkish Kilims, Moroccan Kilims are 'embroidered', rather than woven. When the merchant realized I was hooked, he waited for me to ask the price: the answer was “8000 euros”! I finished my tea, extended my hand, smiling, ready to leave. I was cajoled into staying longer, but I explained that I was not a rich tourist, and that the price was out of my league; he offered “5000 euros”. I pretended I was close to tears, and again, got up to leave. “How much can you afford then?” , “I don’t know anything about the value of your rugs, I just know that I want an 8x12 one for my dining-room, I want something colorful and a flat weave, and I really love that one!” “Because you speak French and you obviously appreciate Moroccan carpets, let’s shake hands and you can have it for 1500 euros.” “No, you break my heart, was my reply, 1000 euros is what I have budgeted; besides, as a travel agent, I can recommend your house to my clients, so you could give me a better price…” I WON! Even my friend whose father is a rug dealer in Syria, was impressed when I showed him my “bargain”. My husband could not believe my bargaining skills! In Turkey, the merchants we visited did not allow any “bargaining”. I did know that when he named prices they were fair, so we came home with two smallish carpets, a flat weave kilim and a pile rug.
The trouble is that we met Galip, Turkey's best known ceramicist, and we blew our budget for the next three trips at his studio!
Turkish Kilim - wool on wool Turkish pile rug - wool on wool Antique Turkish rug on display at
Istanbul Archeological Museum
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