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How
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Maggi Jones finds that rug purchasing in Africa is not for the
faint hearted
Even the most hardened traveller quells at the exclamation, “Lets
go carpet shopping,” knowing these long-winded negotiations
rival the Israeli - Palestinian talks and only result in a depletion
in the personal pension fund.
However, such a cultural experience is worth having to exist on ‘Dia’
supermarket brand soup in your old age and with a few tips you too
can procure that traditional rug and proudly display it, regaling
your friends with stories of its capture. And despite seeing a similar
one in IKEA last week for a fraction of the cost, don’t let
that dissuade you from getting out the photos of the carpet shop owner
and his brother.
Varying greatly, rug designs in each country and region are skilled
artistic expressions of the history of the weaver’s peoples
through its motifs.
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Carpets are usually internationally valued on several
factors. The number of knots per square inch (3600-3800 per sq metre
is high quality), the tightness of the weave, age, complexity of design
and the fabric it was woven with, all affect price.
For instance, the stronger or wirier the wool is, the more traffic
it will withstand and thus last longer. They should also be 100% of
the same material, including tassels (if you hold a match to the ends
of a wool and smell a plastic odour be cautious). For pile carpets,
the basic rule is: the deeper, the denser, the better.
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Varying greatly, rug designs in each country and region
are skilled artistic expressions of the history of the weaver’s
peoples through its motifs.
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The supremacy of a natural dye will be remarked
on, but for decades chemical colours have been used rather than
vegetable, bark, root and even cow urine dyes – both actually
lighten, although natural shades fade slower.
Check the shade at the base of the rug’s weave – if
the colour is much brighter than on the surface it has faded in
the sun. Another trick is to wet a finger or white cloth and rub
on the carpet – it should come away clean, if not steer clear
of that carpet as it may have been retouched or have runny dyes.
As the coast of Africa is just an alluring 100 miles away, so is
the temptation to forge over on the daily ferry (about 45 euros
return) in order to decorate your abode in Moorish Arabic style,
involving a Moroccan flat woven and knotted pile rug with bold geometric
shapes.
These rugs, crafted on looms, incorporate the tribal symbols of
their creators (often lowly paid women) who work mainly without
pattern, making each rug unique.
Having spent the day hiking in the Mid & High Atlas Mountain’s
hot sun (the main weaving area) without adequate water, may have
explained my addled state when I was approached by Hussein, a young
Berber man to view his family shop.
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These rugs, crafted on looms, incorporate the tribal symbols of
their creators, who work mainly without pattern, making each rug unique.
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With
a “Whumpfff”, carpet after carpet are rolled out with a
deft flick of the wrist.
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Down a labyrinth of glittering nooks we arrived
into what looked like Aladdin’s cave, the walls and ceilings
draped with huge scarlet and ochre tapestries lying besides rough
crimson woollen nomadic rugs. Simply overwhelming, carpet shops are
beautiful places to hang out and sometimes, depending on your desires
or the carpet seller’s interest in you and your wallet, difficult
places to leave.
Hussein has a huge selection and starts negotiations by pouring mint
tea from a silver teapot. If you are interested in procuring, don’t
turn this offer down. First off, it is drinkable being boiled, secondly
you probably need it, and thirdly, this simple social custom opens
a cross-cultural exchange that gives an interesting insight into a
different lifestyle. Quite often your carpet seller will be surprisingly
knowledgeable about your country, although be wary if he owns more
property than you do there.
With a “Whumpfff”, carpet after carpet are rolled
out with a deft flick of the wrist. After sitting in rug shops on
low little stools from Morocco to China balancing tiny glasses of
steaming refreshment, I can safely say that the patter is very much
the same and is as follows:
A figure is named, I gasp. (Note, make sure you are bargaining in
the same currency!)
“My friend that’s a very expensive price, I am a...student,”
I exclaim. (Always keep a good sense of humour when bargaining.)
“But I have a family, I can not sell this carpet for under
what I paid for it.”
“But kind sir, I can not pay so much money for this.”
“Surely, you can come up some more – this is a truly
special piece - what is your best price?”
“Mon amie, that’s my best price, what is your best offer?”
And so on for around an hour. (If this inter-change is too scary a
prospect try visiting the government co-operatives, which sell rugs
at a higher price, but all will have price tags.)
Close to my desired amount, I throw in the towel as we are quibbling
on small change believing it a fair trade for the “circumcision
rug” I walk out with.
Hussein probably has quite a few more of these ‘off cuts’
in his storeroom, but I must say, I do love it and it was well worth
the chase.
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Down a labyrinth of glittering nooks we arrived into what looked
like Aladdin’s cave...
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