This is Best Kolleksiyon, a carpet and kilim shop in the outskirts of Ankara near Balgat Air base.   Pay no attention to the increasingly well-traveled Saturn, there...

This is the first room as you walk in the door; here are some of the older carpets and the kitchen.  Inja is busily chopping up vegetables there in the back!

This is the front door from the other direction.

This is the second room, complete with shoppers!  Note the display of Turkish porcelain on the wall.

Kadir, the owner, lecuring about carpet production while his main man, Ibriham, looks on.

Kadir lecturing about the fine points of various carpets.  He has been studying all aspects of weaving for over forty years, and holds a Master's degree in chemistry...he is a font of knowledge about the various vegetable and chemical dying processes, as well as carpets and kilims.

Ibriham, the hardest working man in Turkey, shows off a lovely Hereke wool on cotton "Sivas Star" carpet.  He is looking for his second wife, if you know anyone interested.

This is a primitive loom, used for one by one hand knotted carpets like Kadir sells.  The other methods of making carpets are semi-automatic looms (machine assisted), and machine made.  One by one hand knotted is the most labor intensive method but results in a very strong carpet that reflects the spirit and hard work of the artist.  Semi-Automatic looms are less expensive as they are made much faster, but are not true handmade carpets.  Machine made carpets are the fastest and are mechanically perfect but do not hold up as well under use, nor can they be repaired.

To see a few of my carpets, please click HERE