Today we started with a carpet crawl, as we learned about Turkish carpets, we literally crawled on the floor looking at them and trying to choose the best ones. A very interesting man told us what to look for. He showed us some carpets that were a couple hundred years old and still looked great. A good carpet lasts forever. Some of them he referred to as “ugly old carpets”.

After the carpet experience we went to a craft school and watched a demonstration on paper marbling, it was incredible. They start out with a tray filled with what looks like gray, muddy water. Then colors are added, swirled, brushed… When the paper is put in it and lifted, a picture is present. They are very pretty and this looks like a difficult skill to learn. (Note- The pictures are in the opposite order of production)

Our next stop was a carpet store for another lesson and a demonstration. A traditional weaver showed us her skills, she was amazingly fast. Unfortunately this is a dying skill and fewer and fewer people choose to do this as a profession. This will also raise the price of authentic carpets. 😦

On to the Market, the Grand Bazaar, to practice our skills in ignoring the hawkers and saying NO! As we walk the streets we are constantly accosted by carpet sellers, trinket sellers,… You name it, they want to sell it to you! For those people who made purchases, learning to bargain was another skill added to the list.