From Istanbul to Copenhagen

From Istanbul to Copenhagen

How is it that the passion for carpets and twenty years of countless hours spent in the bazaars of Istanbul should land me in Copenhagen?  The road is not particularly direct, but in the pursuit of educational opportunity and on the rare the chance to see textiles and carpets that have been hidden away in museum collections, here I am in Copenhagen about to enter into a conference that will bring together collectors, dealers and enthusiasts from around the world for time to study, discuss, view and experience collections in Copenhagen, Stockholm and St Petersburg.  The ICOC; the International Conference on Oriental Carpets which starts early next week last convened in Istanbul in 2007.  In 2007 the Turkish government, collectors and dealers hosted a rich experience showcasing treasures that were feasts for the eyes. Adding to the many highlights of the Istanbul ICOC exhibitions were the historic buildings that housed them.  It was wonderful to view the the carpets and textiles in the great ballroom of the Dolmabache Palace, Josephine Powell’s magnificent kilim collection in the palace at Yildiz Park where one could stand far off and be stunned by the graphic beauty of the pieces.  Mehmet Cetinkaya’s collection of central asian chapans were displayed in the historic 16th c  Ibrahim Pasa’s Palace present home to the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum while other collections were viewed in the lower reaches of the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace.  The collections were beautiful and memorable and their beauty was enhanced by the exquisite buildings with the magnificent architectural detail; generally great vast spaces that allowed room for the major pieces to be viewed at their very best.

Bazaars, Villages and Mountaintops

 

Small Helper

On the road, heading south from Van and fast approaching a new tunnel opened in a timely fashion by the government of Turkey just prior the National Referendum. At the entrance to the new tunnel a lone flagman waves us down and indicates that we cannot proceed through the tunnel but must take a detour. A dirt road snakes off to the right, potholed and rough. Our van is followed by two trucks that we passed just prior to arriving at the tunnel. They are packed to the gunnels with family members, animals, household possessions and farm implements. Either they are returning from the yayla (summer pastures) or in fact are itinerate workers off to the next crop waiting to be harvested. The detour leads us into a back street of the village of Bitlis. High above the small city we are overlooking an ancient fort, mosques and the sprawl of old buildings surrounding the more recent apartments. We disembark the minibus for a view over the city and then proceed to walk down the hill entering the city by a back door. The street is lined with old homes and we are in women’s territory. There are women hanging the wash on the outdoor laundry lines, another woman in a courtyard cutting up chicken parts, a young boy wobbling along on what is obviously a very new bike. An elderly man is climbing a hill beside a graveyard his hands open, palms raised in a posture of prayer. Women watch the street from their windows and doorsteps and children run and play. Several women and children sit on a curb outside of a small corner store. One couple in our group is travelling with a sack full of small koala bears and the small children in the group are delighted recipients of these cuddly small foreign creatures.

At work in the courtyard

Cuddly Toddler and Koala