The intricacies of selecting and buying good quality carpets are profound. From recognizing the style and region, to the dyes and raw materials used, to the tassels that finish the edges, to the number of knots used in the design - one could easily minor in The Art and History of Carpets.
Because there are so many carpets in the region, and not all of them equal in quality, it is good practice to educate one’s self on the criteria for what makes a good carpet. And if possible, to buy your carpets from a reputable source. In other words, you ask your friends if they “gotta guy”.
One of the teachers from school, it turns out, does “got a guy” who is from Pakistan originally but has lived in Jeddah for the past 15 years. Once or twice a year, she coordinates a carpet show for her friends and teachers on the compound and Mohammad loads up his van with carpets and makes the 2-day drive into Riyadh.
Justin and I were invited to the hostesses house for our first “carpet show”. I baked pumpkin scones for the occasion. Then we took a seat along the edges of the living room and waited for the show to begin, first with a brief introduction to the art of carpets.
Mohammed told us that he came from a family of carpet makers in Pakistan. He unrolled the first carpet and showed us the backing so we could see the hundreds of tiny knots looped there. A carpet of this size (approximately 5’x8’), he explained, takes three people sitting side by side close to 8 months to make. These carpets are woven by hand by members of a family. Some styles of carpets are considered “wedding carpets” and are knotted by the bride and her family as a gift to the marital home. Most carpets are made from wool, some are made from a blend of wool and silk, and others are made entirely from silk. The silk thread is so fine, explained Mohammed, that it is not uncommon for the carpet maker to slice and bloody their fingers during the weaving process.
After explaining the various techniques, colors, patterns, and styles typical of the many regions where these carpets are made (Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Russia), the show began. Assisted by his son, Mohammed unfurled one carpet after another in the center of the living room. He would name the region it was from, tell us how long it would have taken to make, and the price. Large rectangle carpets, long runner carpets, square carpets, and small carpets were piled one on top of another at our feet.
The procedure here is, once you see a carpet that you may be interested, you grab it off the pile and fold it up by your feet. This does result, on occasion, to a few amusing bouts of tug-o-war between two opposing carpet enthusiasts, but eventually once concedes and the prized carpet is added to the growing pile at the victor’s feet.
The mound of carpets on the floor grew steadily higher as Mohammed unrolled close to 60 carpets, each one unique and beautiful in its own right. The silk carpets are especially impressive, as they emit a subtle shimmer in the light and the designs are so fine you can’t imagine ever putting something so gorgeous on your floor. In fact, most of these silk carpets are hung on walls as works of art and not to be trodden upon.
Justin and I were the first to pull a carpet, a long runner dyed in deep reds, blues, greens, and golds, and featuring multi-colored tassels on the edges. The second carpet we pulled was a large Turk style rug in royal blue and dark red, with medallions repeating along the edges and down the middle. These carpets are so gorgeous and come in such unexpected color combinations that you don’t think twice about having to reimagine the entire color scheme of your home to fit the rug , instead of the other way around (Sorry, Justin! We will be repainting that wall soon…).
The third and final carpet we selected was a small 2’x3’ in golds and oranges. These small rugs, Mohammed explained are usually made by the younger children in the family. Using the left over scraps and materials from a larger, more sophisticated carpet, the children make smaller rugs as a way to practice their craft. So the knots may not be as tight, the patterns not as sharp, as they are essentially, “starter rugs”.
Finally, with the last carpet unrolled and a pile of rugs in the floor almost waist-high, it was time to make decisions. Now Mohammed removes a carpet at a time, rolls or folds them back up and you have a second chance to see them all and maybe make one last impulse buy. Then you can move to another area of the house to spread out your finalists and make your decisions. Needless to say we were swept up in the experience and purchased all three that we had pulled aside.
At home that evening, we placed our new carpets around the house and then took turns laying on them, and saying fun things like, “Oh, can you imagine we used to lay on common store-bought area rugs?! The horror!). But we literally laid on our magic carpet and watched Netflix for the rest of the evening. And maybe we’ll be eating Ramen noodles for the next month to offset the cost of these lovely rugs, but at least we’ll be doing it in style.
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