Carpets
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Woven carpets are traditionally crafted in North Africa and many parts of Asia, mainly along the Silk Road. They are sometimes called Oriental carpets, and are often associated with Islamic cultures, partly due to their tradition of producing prayer rugs.
Travellers in these regions will usually have access to a considerably wider variety of carpets than they might at home, and often at better prices provided they can haggle somewhat competently. Carpets are among the most popular souvenirs for such journeys.
There is a relatively small wiki called WikiRug, bilingual in English and Persian, which is devoted to oriental carpets.
Whoever sitteth on this carpet and willeth in thought to be taken up and set down upon another site will, in the twinkling of an eye, be borne thither, be that place nearhand or distant many a day's journey and difficult to reach.
UnderstandTraditional carpets are made by knotting coloured wool to a base (warp and weft) on a loom so they have a pile. This article concentrates on rugs of that type.
DestinationsOriental rugs are made more-or-less everywhere from Morocco to China.
BuyHaggling over the price is customary for carpet purchases almost everywhere; see our article on bargaining for some tips.
See also
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Carpets" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons