After such a serious discussion and tour of the museum under the university—through the ancient cistern—we went to a Turkish carpet shop. I was able to take better notes at this location since we were sitting down and had an official (tourist) presentation.
According to our presenters, carpet-making was believed to have begun in Central Asia, perhaps first done by nomads, and the rugs replaced animal skins in the economy. There are 3 kinds of designs:
· Nomadic Period: simple, geometric patterns
· Transition Period: Apparently, only 18 of these kinds of carpets left in the world. Now, carpet makers take apart old rugs and use the old fibers to make new rugs but with old designs. Usually stylized floral, animals and stars.
· Ottoman Period: Very popular during the Ottoman Empire and you can find many carpets in mosques since there are no chairs.
Carpets are also made from different combinations of materials: wool, cotton and silk. The backing is made from one material and the knots may use the same or different material. I have to admit that I purchased a small silk-on-silk carpet. It is quite lovely, but it was hard to choose since there were literally thousands in that place. What I like about the Turkish carpets is that they have a nap. You can’t always see/feel it because the workmanship can be so fine, but looking at it in one direction will reflect the light and in the other direction it will be refracted.
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