Carpet shopping

The Cappadocia region is known for their carpets. In Goreme township in the heartland of Cappadocia are a number of carpet shops. In Goreme there are a number of New Zealanders and Austrialians who own business's here including one Australian who is in partnersip in a carpet shop. I snapped this sign which appealed to me outside one of the shops.
As this region usually gets its annual rainfall in April and a small part of May, it really is quite safe to leave the carpets out on display over night and all through the day. Crime too is almost nonexistant. One such shop in the township does just that. Hanging from the walls are the hugest and of course most gorgeous carpets......
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In modern time the women weave the carpets as a means of generating an income for the family but in time gone by the women wove carpets for their homes and also for the dowry. All carpets reflect the individual. Most modern carpets have a medallion in the middle and the outside is decorated with many and varied designs. The older and consequently used carpets reflect more of the women's identity and her dreams and aspirations. The older carpets tend to incorporate some of the 5 pillars of Islam.
Over the last few days I have been looking at carpets. However like a child in a sweet shop what I first thought I may have bought has been changed and superceeded by the huge choice available. So read into this that buying a carpet is not a process to be rushed. I have finally purchaed an older carpet with a one off pattern, rather than the medallion design, in beautiful autumn tones, with patterns in many colours that reflect the resources of that particular village to dye the wool. I wanted a carpet to put at the front door however my piece really seems too precious to put on the floor let alone walk on. My friendly carpet man disagrees, he tells me I must walk on it with bare feet to truely admire the beauty and the softness. Carpets he tells me were made to be used and admired and I must do that!