Once upon a time, all the mice gathered at their mice divan (divan is viziers’ council by the Sultan) and started thinking how to get rid of their major enemy – the Cat. Many hours passed till the oldest and the wisest mouse told,
"Let’s hang a bell on his neck. Then, as soon as he moves, the bell will ring, and we will be warned".
Mice loved the idea.
"Now, let’s collect money to buy the bell", told the old mouse.
Mice started calculating how much each of them must give. Yet, they soon began arguing because each thought that he must give less than the others.
"Hey, you are giving so little while I should give that much! Why are you paying less than me?"
Then, a very old mouse who had commanded the mice army and defeated lots of cats, told,
"Calm down, lot of you! I don’t need your money. I will buy the bell myself. But then, show me the brave lad who can hang the ball on the Cat’s neck! Let him come out to the middle of this room."
Hence, the quarry between mice was brought to its end...
XXX
We went back into the building to our old man. He took the fake ring out of water, and... it just like melted.
"Even the best lacquer will melt on onyx in 30 minutes, therefore cold water is the best test for such things", the craftsman said.
Try this method when you are in Turkey, do not be shy!
XXX
A huge hall full of carpets – rolled carpets by walls, carpets on floor, carpets on benches, carpets under ceiling... Apple team is an alcohol-free fresh drink in called "tourist whiskey, in Turkey, and is served for travelers. While I was drinking it, an amazing show took place for us. Young Turk unrolled a marvelous carpet in front of me. The carpet, of an ineffable dark colour, literally glistened!
"Dark, eh?" the guy asked smiling, "Now, op-paaa!"
And he turns the carpet 180 degrees. Me, all those who were present, and even the guide took a deep breath in adoration. The carpet became light in colour! How could it be possible?!
"The point is," pleased with the effect he made, the carpet-weaver told, "that while working with the carpet, weavers make the threads lie under a certain angle. Therefore, it changed its colour when you look at it from different positions."
Turkish carpets are really unique. Only in Turkey – not even in Iran which is also famous for its carpets – do they weave three-knotted carpets. Therefore, Turkish carpets are so dense and enduring that its life can last for as many as hundreds of years! In addition, similarly to good wine, the older the carpet, the better and the more expensive it is.
We were shown colourful carpets woven of... non-painted wool. To reach such effect, craftsman use wool from differently coloured sheep. We saw carpets that could be wrapped to a small packet size. We saw cotton carpets, wool carpets, ornamented carpets and monochrome carpets... The craftsmen who created all these were working right in front of us.
"One cannot work at the bench for more than 10-15 years," we were explained, "It is very harmful for your eyes."
Yet, weavers’ profession has always been popular enough. People in province – and anywhere else – need job. Therefore, people who get employed in carpet factories do not think about the harm that will be caused to their health. That is a solid harm, I should say. In 5 years, one can easily lose his vision. All these do not stop carpet weavers whose job is inherited from working. For instance, Cinar family has been in this job for more than 400 years!
"A carpet woven by Cinar’s can cost more than 50.000 USD!" our guide told with respect.
Nonetheless, this money won’t go in vain. Such carpets deserve their places in world’s best collections. To invest into carpets is as prestigious as to invest into a rare stamp or an ancient vase. In fact, the most expensive carpet in world originated from Turkey as well. It was sold in an auction in middle 1990’s for 1 million USD!
Factory we visited used the full-manufacture technique. That is, the whole carpet manufacturing process took place in front of us. A silkworm larva is thrown into warm water, where it gets out of its cocoon. The former is unwrapped, and mounted on the special bench that pulls the thin silk threads. On factory walls we saw pictures describing the past of this factory. Here had also been a museum, in 20th century. Here, practical Turks had it three-in one...
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