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TURKISH CARPETS AND KILIMS

Shopping through the narrow streets of Bodrum is a great pleasure. you must certainly try. The Turkish crafts make it impossible to resist buying something. The most popular objects for the holiday makers are of course the carpets, leather goods, copper and bronze wares, silver and gold jewellery, handicrafts and embroidery, and the famous Turkish meerschaum and onyx are on many peoples' lists.

Turkish carpets

First in general, what is it we call a carpet? In Turkey we differentiate between the knotted carpet, which is called HALI, and the woven carpet, the KILIM. Carpets are  the most well-known souvenirs you can bring home from Turkey. And even if you have had just the bad luck of being cheated, they are still a lot cheaper than in your own country. A serious seller tells you and informs you about some basic values in carpet making. The closer together and tighter the knotting, the finer, stronger and more precious the carpets beomes. The number of knots varies from 150,000 per sq. mt. to 1,000,000 per sq. mt. in the finest silk carpets.Thus, a 1,5 to 2 mt. carpets can take from three months to one year to complete. In the villages around Bodrum, Milas and Mumcular, rugs are still woven by hand in the traditional way. A well made carpet can last for well over a hundred of years but it should be cherished correctly as a piece of art.