In this world of mass produced, global
marketed, and tourism packaged goods,
how can we possibly say that purchasing a
carpet or kilim in Turkey could still be a
sane thing to do?  
Therefore, when asked to
explain myself to visitors in our
shop, curious  why a reasonably
intelligent woman chooses to
spend her days in a place which
sells lovely Turkish handmade
items, but face it, IS a carpet
shop, this is what I tell them.  It's
the difference between art and
commerce.
Our kilims, carpets and textiles are handmade in the
traditional styles and patterns from the Anatolian peninsula
to the regions of the Caucasian and Central Asian
Republics.  Spend a few days, wandering into shops, if you
can be left alone long enough to really look.  You will begin
to see the difference between old and new, to recognize the
spirit, the lack of perfection, that makes art.  We buy these
pieces a few pieces at a time, never from a factory.  
Not that there is anything wrong with mass production
(except for a certain absence  of individuality, and the
likelihood of cheap and child labor in those factories).
But we love the character that comes from a piece
woven from the heart.  Most of our pieces are at least
25 years old, often much older, made back in the day
when women learned the art of weaving at their
mother's knee.
They were made by the women of
these semi-nomadic tribal cultures
as floor and wall coverings, for
eating and praying and other
personal uses, and occasionally
for trade, like having a bank
account available to pay an urgent
bill. The wool yarns used are
handspun, using natural vegetable
dyes, not machine made, using
synthetic dyes.


There are carpet shops, and worse, touts, lurking on every Turkish
street in the many towns that visitors frequent, all offering a
dizzying array of color, pattern and fiber guaranteed to be
"authentic".  It's enough to make one's head spin, I should know.  It
is how I met my husband, so you can SEE the inherent dangers.
Our rugs were intended to be used for years.  We think of them as
heirlooms to be passed down through the family...in fact, several of the
rugs on this page were made by women in Abit's family a generation ago.
   Kilims and carpets from BAZAAR BAYAR are a handcrafted
works of art that will increase in value over time with proper care.

Copyright1999-2006                Bazaar Bayar/Gallery Golden State                   All rights reserved    
Bazaar Bayar      
  
                   Selcuk, Izmir  Turkiye  90.232.892.6508 bazaarbayar@yahoo.com
   Give a disappearing artform a home...