Or at least that’s what one Turkish carpet store owner believes.

Disagree? I sure did, until now. 

Do you often find yourself checking price tags at Ikea to snag the cheapest rug you can get your hands on? If yes, then be prepared to change your mind about the real job of a quality carpet.

Turkey is famous for its carpets, and – fun fact – is where the oldest carpet in the world was woven.  Carpets are art, and as I learned today, carpets (especially those made in Turkey) should be appreciated for their beauty, their history, and especially for the painstakingly long amount of time it takes to weave them.

After a long day in Turkey’s heat, we went into Nakkas Rugs, a high end carpet store that was actually built over a very old cistern (an underground well, but much larger and much more impressive) from around 560 BC.  After watching one woman work on a carpet with dizzying speed and utter perfection, the impeccably dressed owner of the store escorted us upstairs to one of the showrooms.  We sat along one of the walls on a very comfortable couch, facing stacks upon stacks of carpets.  After showing us some good old fashioned Turkish hospitality and offering us a wide range of beverages (apple tea for me…mmm), he gave us a rich history of Turkish rugs (that oldest known carpet in the world? It dates from between the 4^th and 1^st centuries BC, but historians say the hand-woven carpet techniques were probably introduced around the 12^th century BC. Woah).  

With our drinks in hand, we then were entertained.  And I mean entertained.  As the store owner talked, two of his workers (the muscle) tossed rugs at our feet, one after another after another, each one more beautiful than the last.  It seemed endless, but when they finally stopped, I only wanted them to continue.  (Apparently they have 20,000 rugs at that particular store.  I would have stayed to see them all…if they kept the tea coming.)

He told us quite seriously that for most people, it is difficult to comprehend the true value of a Turkish rug.  For one thing, size doesn’t matter.  One of the little silk rugs depicted an intricate mythological scene and was woven with 3,000 knots per square inch (that’s ridiculous, by the way…we saw some beautiful rugs that were 150 knots per square inch, or even 80 knots…but really – 3,000) and cost $32,000.  No, that is the right amount of zeros.  The rugs gain most of their value from the amount of human labor that goes into it (we saw rugs that took 1-3 months to make, rugs that took about a year, and even a rug that took 4 years), as well as from the material used (silk is the priciest – and only the very best weavers are trusted to use silk, as a single mistake would render the carpet worthless, or at least worth less.  In other words, if you decide you’d like to try your hand at the loom, you’ll be given some wool).

After the presentation, while our professor spent time bargaining for the best price on a particular rug, we went up onto the roof terrace.  And gasped.  We could see beautiful views of the Blue Mosque, city homes, and the Sea of Marmara with the Asian side of Turkey on the other side.  I guess being in the Turkish carpet business isn’t too shabby a profession.  And by the way, everyone pool your resources: I’d love a Turkish rug for Christmas.

Location: Nakilbent Sok. No:33, Istanbul, Turkey 34122