Carpet Weaving School, Cappadocia
In Cappadocia, there is a vocational weaving school which employs hundreds of women in entire region to learn how to weave a carpet or rug. Visitors are welcomed to visit the school and see how the carpet is being made. These local arts are dying so it is recommended for visitors to come and see the process while it is still around.
The teacher/ owner of the school gave us a tour on how to make the carpet. Apparently no one knows exactly when the technique of carpet weaving first appeared but the oldest surviving carpet in the world is made in the Turkish style of a double knot. First, we were brought to the area where the silk cocoons are boiled.
Once the silk cocoons are "cooked" to the correct form. They allow them to dry for a while before the next process, spinning the cocoons.
Once the silk cocoons are spin, you will get the wool which then tied into a double knot and hence, the name, double-knot style.
The double-knot wool is now ready for some coloring. The coloring material is boiled in the big pot and they just put the whole double-knotted wool inside the pot. Each pot is used to store different color.
Once the material is ready, it is now time to weave. There are certain patterns to follow like how you normally knit. But looking at the pattern, that carpet does not look easy to make, really.
Once you have finished the "tour", you will be invited to look at the end result and even, try to walk on it. They really feel so smooth and you can buy them at cheaper price (thanks to Government's subsidy) here. You don't have to carry it on flight (because that will be too heavy) as the store will deliver it to your house in whichever country you are coming from.
