My mother-in-law is Persian, so she knows her stuff. Turn the rug over and look at the back. That is where you tell the quality. You are looking for fine, even knots.

Look for a wool one with silk accents. Or if you don't want one for the dining room, think of a place where a small one would make a big impact like an entry way or bathroom. You could carry that home without too much trouble.

$500 is enough for a rug you can love. As previous posters have said, don't buy right away. Let them "educate" you with their sales pitches. Buy something you love.

We have a funny story about our rug buying haggle-fest.

We haggled for TWO DAYS with a very patient man named Nazmi in Selcuk. There were two beautiful wool rugs, some of the nicest we had seen at that point. We would visit his shop; he'd visit us at our hotel. Finally he said he was coming to the U.S. in a few months and if he could show rugs to our friends, he would take our offer.

He also gave us a very good deal on a prayer rug, wrapped those and another rug we had bought somewhere less reputable, and shipped them to Istanbul for us to pick up before we flew out.

We were able to pick up the rugs from Istanbul, tightly packed in bags. When we got home we had them appraised at about 3x what we had paid. The appraiser also confirmed the quality of wool and natural dyes.

We had forgotten about the "deal" when Nazmi called us one day, "Hello, I am at Holiday Inn with a McDonald's across the street.." So we called everyone we could think of and had a little party. Nazmi was able to sell two more rugs from what was left after touring the country before his well-earned vacation in Hawaii.

After seven years of daily use, our rugs still look great.

ekscrunchy,
Next time try http://tinyurl.com/ for posting looooong URLs.

Hi

"...would like to purchase a rug for my dining room... for about $500"

Err, dining suite size? I don't think so. Unless you know what to look for, buying carpets in Turkey is fraught with problems. Do you know how to grade diamonds? Same deal with Turkish carpets. Maybe Murat etc. can recommend a reputable dealer. If you do buy a rug and have it shipped here's a tip - on the back of the rug write or initial your name on the label. That way when it arrives you know you got the one you ordered.

We bought a small rug more than 15 years ago from a carpet seller near Ephasus. We arrived at the car park to visit the ruins on an extremely hot day (40+C) and were approached by someone who we assumed was collecting money for the car park. He told us we looked hot and suggested we entered his air conditioned shop and he would give some apple tea to cool us down. While we were there he casually showed us a few carpets and then insisted on lending us a guide book for the ruins, to ensure our return. When we returned the book, after more tea, the harder sell began (though the prices had already dropped). He told us that a carpet was like a woman - if you loved her you had to have her and money didn't matter. We were even offered credit in the form of 6 post-dated credit card slips, dated a month apart! We ended up buying a small cotton rug (not on credit!) that we use as a wall hanging - we had intended to buy something and didn't spend more than we wanted. We were happy with our purchase but whether we got a bargain or not, I've no idea.

Some years later, with no intention of buying, we were approched by a carpet salesman in Kas. He told us his name was Elvis (he had the hair!) engaged us in converation, asking where we came from and of course he knew someone from near there and wanted to talk about Manchster United. He invited us into his shop and we told him we had no intention of buying. He continued anyway, insisting that it didn't cost to look and we could rest in the shade in his shop for a while. He did his best but we were adamant that we were not buying this time. We parted on good terms taking his card and promising to recomend him if we met anyone in need of a carpet.

It's all quite an experience but you do need to be careful and firm if you don't want to end up spending more than you intended.

I know this post is already old and poster have been to Turkey, and left with our without a rug

I copy and will paste an old post of mine for a gudieline as the post is at the the top again:
"Carpet Buying is a delicate subject. A short while I have been in the business while I was giving consulting to the owner of the company for his hotel investment.

First of all the best Carpet you can buy is the one you like best... is the golden rule.

Second best thing to know a Turkish carpet is far more durable than any other oriental rug due to double knot technique.
You may not always find a 100% vegetable die but thats not the most important issue anymore.

Thirdly; you can not go wrong ( almost not ) with Yahyali,Dosemealti,Hereke wool on wool or pure silk, milas.
Finding a reputable dealer is most important ofcourse after all. They can ship the carpet ( anysize ) by Fedex or such and you pay around 35 Usd. per sqm. usually can be negotiated within the price.
Cappadocia is one of the good centers for carpet buying. ýstanbul has also a lot of choice. Why not going Hereke while in istanbul where the looms were only working for the Sultans at once.
Happy shopping and enjoy your carpets.
By the way have a kilim next to a carpet its real nice form of first carpet weaving. (flat woven woolen and nomadic ones)

Another note: Turkish Rugs are usually
inherited to next generations. So the older they get their value is going higher. In April there will be a convention and forum of world antique & valuable rug dealers in Istanbul....
Happy Shopping,
Murat

I always check the date of the original post, but I guess I didn't check the year!

I kind of remember thinking, wow, it is the 27th already?