In the 13th Century, Marco Polo traveled a fascinating route for trade that stretched from the Golden Horn in present day Istanbul to the seaports of China, passing through Anatolia, the Caucasus, Persia, Central Asia and China. Along the way, caravans traded goods for silks, spices, and oriental rugs. At the easternmost end, these items were again traded to Yankee Clipper ships and brought to New England.
In Search of Gregorian Rugs
To find the rugs that will become Gregorian Orientals, we follow this
route that is as old as trade itself. Modern decorating trends influence
colors and patterns, but the age-old manner in which the wool is gathered,
dyed, spun and woven is unchanged. Our search is for handmade rugs that
represent the vision and personal artistry of weavers whose abilities
and limitations are based on their culture and ethnicity, and the traditions
of generations of rug weavers before them.
Turkey's Grand Bazaar
We return often to the Silk Route rug centers and remote villages
of Turkey, Pakistan and India. Turkey is preserving its unique designs
and traditions with a passion that borders on national policy. Colleges
even offer degree programs on rug art and rug-making management. In Istanbul,
we visit the Grand Bazaar--a labyrinth of 65 covered pedestrian streets
erected in 1461 for Constantinople’s (now Istanbul) international trade
and rebuilt in 1780. Thousands of shops barter for fabric, leather, antiques,
ceramics, jewelry--and of course--rugs. Halicilik (means carpet seller)
Sisko Osman usually invites us to sit in one of his many galleries where
we sip tea from tulip glasses while he presents his wares. He has wonderful
old rugs. Then at Halicilik Sengor's gallery we marvel at his innovative
merchandising touch of a wheeled tote bag with rug purchase, so you can
conveniently wheel your purchase through the bazaar.
Searching the Subcontinent of India
From Turkey, we travel to India where a rug-weaving past merges with the present. As in Western Turkey, India's larger manufacturers have turned to computer programs to design and color rugs. But once you cross the threshold of the weaver's home, the loom, the tools, the yarn, and the very act of hand-knotting each oriental rug is the same as the way rugs were created centuries ago.
Rugs in India are by tradition based on ancient designs, but today are influenced by fashion and new designs that match the latest in home decorating styles. Whether the designs are traditional or contemporary, the Indian rug weaver produces rugs that satisfy the tastes of Westerners, just as they satisfied European buyers as early as the 1500's.
Our buying trips in India begin in Delhi, where cell phones and cows share city streets. From Delhi, we travel to the remote rug-weaving districts in northern India around Jaipur, Agra, and Varanasi.
Varanasi is the City of Lights. The holiest and oldest city in the nation, Varanasi is where millions of Hindu faithful come to bathe in the Ganges each year. Rug merchants pass through the bazaars that are hidden among the hodgepodge streets and alleys of Varanasi on their way to a region known for its rug weavers--Gobiganj.
On the highway to Gobiganj, roaming cows and goats share the road's heat and confusion with bicycles, cars, mechanized rickshaws, trucks, buses and pedestrians. Roadside food stands cater to travelers and a procession of saffron-clad Hindu faithful. Beggars and animal acts hope for handouts along the way.
In the rug-weaving villages around the Gobiganj area women in silk saris, their faces covered in bright fabrics of yellow, orange, red and blue, are stark contrast to the khaki covered walls of houses and roads. Water buffalo loll in ponds to keep out of the heat. Rug washing and trimming is done without power or machinery. If a village is lucky enough to have even one electrical outlet, it serves to power irrigation pumps to fill the washing troughs with water.
The Art of Negotiating
In their compound in Gobiganj, we visit rug merchant Shreedar and his son, Anoop, where under open skies weavers bring rugs for inspection and sale. Onlookers, each with a stake in the outcome, gather around the red-turbaned master weaver who endlessly chews beezel nut mixed with tobacco. Buyers point out flaws in the rug to bring down the price, weavers and sellers protest and wail that their children will starve. Yet another drama scripted in advance by centuries of tradition ends in a bargain and the deal is done.
We follow the age-old rules of the art of negotiation and bargain without adversarial conflict--for we want to buy, and the merchant wants to sell. Our advocacy has taught us the value of the rugs and the seller's need to save face. To strike the bargain, we never argue, raise our voice or challenge the statements or theatrics of the seller. When the deal is done, the rugs are taken away to be wrapped into bundles for their air flight to Massachusetts and eventually into the homes of our customers.
Marco Polo recorded 24 years of travel along the Great Silk Route. Our travels have spanned well over twice that many years. The fascinating colors, textures, and cultures of the Silk Route continue to be a source of inspiration to the rug weaver's art and beckon us back year after year in search of fine handmade Gregorian Oriental Rugs.
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