Kilim Rug I had no plans to buy a rug in Turkey. My house has one too many rugs and I had recently bought a jute rug for my living room. But a determined salesman persuaded me to look at the rugs his store offers. It was a very short walk from the Basilica Cistern where I happened to spend a couple of hours so I decided to go to with him to his store. At the store they offered me hot tea served in tulip shaped glasses. I couldn’t even touch it as it was too hot to hold. Anyway, I was immediately distracted by a different salesman unfolding rugs before me. He asked me what type I wanted and I replied, “a peaceful one”. As you can see, none of these rugs are peaceful. They are fully covered with geometric or floral designs. The kilim rug above has cross symbols which protects against the evil eye while the running water symbol framing the edges of the rug represents life. This rug was my favorite of the lot. Here’s another kilim rug but the colors are darker. You can still find the cros
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” - James Michener