| Next, we visited the showroom of a carpet co-op. In the co-ops, Turkish women were continuing the ancient skill of carpet weaving that had been handed down from generation to generation. In an effort to keep the art alive, the Turkish government was providing monthly health insurance and stipends to village women. In this showroom, we saw the different stages that went into weaving a Turkish carpet -- from carding (combing) the wool to spinning, dyeing, and weaving the carpet. Only Turkish carpets are woven with a double knot; all other carpets have just a single knot. Besides seeing the wool process, we also saw how silk thread was gathered from the silkworm cocoon. In the end, we were shown some finished carpets and especially beautiful were the silk carpets as the colors changed from dark to light as the carpet rotated. |
