fbpx
Top

The town of Avanos had another craft it was famous for and it’s well worth a visit. We were told it was possible to tour around one of the carpet weaving stores, the so-called carpet factory. Every time you travel to the Orient you will be offered to buy a carpet, „hand-weaved in a large spectrum of colors“, and it is always „just perfect for you“. But it is not that often that you can enter one of those craft stores and see how they actually do make carpets.

Here, they said, you can choose among those made of wool, cotton, or silk. And you can really witness how women were weaving, sitting by those old wooden looms with strings of wool of all colors. In another room, there were silk bugs, machines pulling out those fibers from insect larvae. Then, you enter other premises where people were coloring cotton threads for later weaving into a carpet. All hand made. After you’ve seen all this, when you go into the room with various carpets and rugs, finished and wrapped, you just cannot seem to put aside either one of them.

cappadocia-travel-glimpses-of-the-world

Colorful Cappadocia carpet factory

But my eye did get caught by one rug, orange and blue, with elegant ornaments, not very big, just perfect for my study back home. The first price was one to laugh at since buyers are expected to haggle and thus it was too high. The second a bit lower, the third… oh well, you get the picture. I ended up buying that beautiful rug for half of the starting price. I was thrilled, but the guy probably sold it for the price he had in mind all along.

„How am I going to drag this thing back home?!“, I thought, having in mind that I was supposed to go to the Middle East first. But before I knew it, they wrapped it up, packed it so densely that it looked like – a handbag!

And you know what, I am looking at it right now – it lies on the floor of my study where I am at the moment, writing this post. Those ornaments are not that symmetrical as they were supposed to be, some shapes are turned upside down… But I love the charm of it, being hand-weaved, not perfect. And in such bright colors!

Next: LOVE VALLEY AND SAINT SIMEON’S ROOM (16)

The full Cappadocia SERIES

Cappadocia-travel-carpets-Glimpses-of-The-World

0

Comments:

  • Shane

    03/03/2017

    Wow, I can’t imagine a more important reminder of an amazing destination. Happy you were able to get this gem home!

    reply...
  • backpackingdetours

    03/03/2017

    Beautiful! I wish I had bought a carpet when I visited Turkey. It’s so interesting the way they make them. Hopefully I can get to Cappadocia one day and buy one!

    reply...
  • 03/03/2017

    I would love to see rugs hand woven. I worked in the carpet industry for a while and I have seen about every mechanical way to do it, but I am amazed by the amazing work that can be created by hand.

    reply...
  • 03/03/2017

    How fun. It’s great that you get the chance to look at something everyday that holds such a nice memory.

    reply...
  • 04/03/2017

    So many different coloured rugs to choose from! I would carry one half way around the world too.

    reply...
  • 05/03/2017

    I wish I had some of these rugs at home 😀

    reply...
  • 06/03/2017

    It was Persian carpets that led me to Iran. The carpet auctioneer led tours, and he was so good, knew so much history and culture and the details of his subject, we signed up for a tour last year, and another in a few weeks.

    I love these intricate and beautiful rugs. I have a silk carpet under my feet as I speak, and “Tree of Life” Mihrab prayer mats on either side of our bed.

    reply...

Post a Reply to backpackingdetours cancel reply


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

If you need a freelance travel writer or you would like to see your country, city, flight, etc., presented on the blog, drop me an email. 

Find our more on Freelance Travel Writer page.

I am looking forward to working with you.

Danijela ćirović

Slide

GET TRAVEL EBOOKS

Great stories in one place - eBooks, digital brochures, and postcards.

Share