traveling to Turkey since the late '80's; I have lived here
since 1999. My Turkish/Kurdish husband and I own a shop
in Selcuk, the small town of about 25,000 people - mostly
farmers - next to the ruins of Ephesus. In the years since
we started Bazaar Bayar together, I have been learning
more about carpets, kilims and other textiles from Anatolia
to Central Asia. With my background in textile and interior
design, including collecting kilims for years, it has been an
education based on a passion for all things handcrafted.
My husband Abit has been in this business for more than 20
years, working in every region of Turkey, and has
developed a tremendous knowledge of the rug-making
arts. Accompanying him on buying trips around the
country, or watching him haggle in our shop with the men
whose life's work it is to travel to villages, collecting
interesting pieces, has been fascinating. The amount of
polite conversation each deal takes, the number of
cigarettes offered and smoked, the glasses of tea that must
be consumed, are seemingly endless. Most of the places we
travel, and many of the people we work with, are in the
more conservative regions of the country. The most
difficult thing for me, as someone who loves to talk and to
bargain, is to remain somewhat in the background and to
keep a "poker face" when presented with the wonderful
pieces we see. But as I have adapted to the culture and
learned the language, it has become easier.
Since Abit and I are both "treasure hunters" at heart, the
thrill of what we might find each day compels us to stay in
this business. It's not an easy occupation here. During the
March to October season, we open the shop at 9am, and
often do not leave until well after midnight - 7 days a
week. There are too many carpet shops in every town a
tourist may visit, with the lure of the potential foreign
money to be made inducing everyone and his cousin to get
into the business, even with no knowledge of the art. And
then there are the enormous government-subsidized
companies that dominate tourism here, with mandatory
"carpet village" visits for all who travel with them. These
villages are good for showing the average visitor how
carpets or kilims are woven, but most of them flood the
market here with pieces that are made specifically for the
tourist trade, with designs and colors that have little to do
with tradition.
Most visitors here in Selcuk are not collectors, but
travelers who have no prior knowledge about rugs. They
can be somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer amount of
stuff, good and bad, here. It is a daunting task to learn
what to look for if they do become interested, but so many
are drawn into our shop by the profusion of color and
pattern to spend sometimes hours, usually just looking or
asking questions, and sometimes buying. That we have the
chance to meet people from all over the world, and to talk
to them about the culture, Turkey's history and our passion
for the craft of the handwoven arts here, is what keeps
our business going.
Copyright1999-2006 Bazaar Bayar/Gallery Golden State
All rights reserved.
