03 Mar 2023
We knew we would like a rug as a Turkish souvenir so finding Ali was the perfect answer. We gave him some info upfront on what we were looking for and he delivered! Ali is so knowledgeable on Turkish and other “oriental” rugs and educated us while offering Turkish coffee and tea in the first shop. We spent much more than the allotted time agonizing over the beautiful options but Ali was ever patient and even offered to go to still more shops. When one salesman was a little too pushy, he stepped in to “save” me and we left to see a wholesaler who purchased used and antique rugs. We found 3 unique rugs we could not live without and Ali made arrangements for shipments home. Very educated, articulate and fascinating person to show you Istanbul and especially the rug markets!