A Turkish Famly Tradition: Etrim Hali Carpets

Before enjoying my Turkish Köy Kahvaltısı nigh Bodrum, I was introduced to a Turkish woman raise who sat on a cushion weaving a large carpet amongst homespun wool.

Her nimble fingers moved apace across the erstwhile wooden loom. She made double knots using dissimilar colored yarn, merely she had no pattern. Every pattern she made was done yesteryear memory.

Engin Başol, possessor of Etrim Hali Carpets located inward the pocket-sized hamlet of Etrim, nearly 24km from Bodrum, introduced us to his mother, Ümmüham Başol, who was currently weaving the carpet for us. His identify unit of measurement roots inward the surface area appointment dorsum 500 years.

Engin Başol, along amongst his father, Mehmet, run the Turkish carpet concern which is a cooperative made upward several local villages enabling women who tin weave to sell their rugs. The younger Başol, who spoke English, explained that they are trying to save the local traditions such equally carpet weaving.

“I experience similar it’s a dying fine art equally the younger women desire to deed to the urban heart too soul too and then they hook upward amongst Bodrum men. They acquire out the hamlet life behind them,” Engin Başol said.

As he leads us through the original building, I am amazed yesteryear how many Turkish carpets too kilims arrive at total each too every unmarried room. They are stacked on operate yesteryear of each other or rolled upward inward corners, on the flooring or on a bench. The brilliant colors too dissimilar patterns are astounding. Although I already ain ii Turkish kilims, I wished I had to a greater extent than fourth dimension to purchase some other 1 or perhaps fifty-fifty two.

Ümmüham spends ii months making a wool double knotted Turkish carpet (the fluffier form of rugs that tin last false for Oriental rugs) that measures to a greater extent than or less 1.5 meters inward dimension piece a flat-weave kilim takes iii weeks. She also hand-dyes the wool yarn using exclusively natural ingredients such equally flowers, roots too spices. She shows us the yarns hanging exterior on hooks to dry out piece cows too chickens laze nearly inward the yard nearby.

To me, buying a Turkish carpet or kilim is a personal experience. When nosotros lived inward Turkey, I took several friends to purchase Turkish carpets from the Grand Bazaar inward Istanbul. When I finally purchased my own, I spent nearly ii hours looking at dozens of dissimilar styles. And fifty-fifty though I dearest my kilims, I don’t know the story behind them.

Getting a Turkish carpet or kilim from Etrim hamlet too the Başol identify unit of measurement is a retentiveness that would in conclusion forever.

If you’re visiting the Bodrum area, experience complimentary to telephone telephone Engin Başol hence yous tin bask a traditional Turkish breakfast too encounter the carpets for yourself. It’s also a practiced chance to catch too acquire nearly a Turkish hamlet inward person.

Location:

Etrim Hali Carpets is located side yesteryear side to Doğa Restaurant & Köy Kahvaltısı

Etrim Mahallesi köyüaz
Pınarlıbelen, Muğla, Turkey 48400

Website: http://www.etrimhali.com.tr/

Best to telephone telephone ahead to brand grouping reservations.  +90 532 602 6769

(I was the invitee of Etrim Doğa Restaurant & Köy Kahvaltısı, merely all the opinions expressed hither are my own.)