I was a little caught unaware when the man we met in the medina offered to take us to his shop and serve us tea. But, I wasn’t really concerned about it since he seemed quite nice and very genuine. I was also very excited about the prospect since I had heard such great things about Moroccan tea. When he said he wanted to show us the carpets he had though, my heart leaped! Their carpets are world-renowned and I knew it would be amazing!
Tea Time
The gentleman showed us into a large room with brightly colored cushioned seating all around. We took our seats and he offered us tea. First, I’d be remiss if I didn’t discuss the tea because it is somewhat of a signature of Morocco. They serve sweet mint tea, sweet being somewhat of an understatement. Know that if you don’t specify what amount of sugar you want, you can expect it will be syrupy sweet. You can trust that it will be wonderful though, regardless of how you take it. The best comparison I can think of is like a warm, minty, liquid stick of peppermint in your mouth… Yum!
They presented a lovely gleaming silver tea set on a tray, with a teapot so shiny you could see yourself in it. Then they poured the tea into small glasses and began to make small talk. They asked us about ourselves, questions like where we were from, how we were liking the country, etcetera. Once it was clear that we were feeling comfortable, they began to bring out the carpets.
Let the Spectacle Begin!
One by one, they carried out the rolled carpets and unfurled them onto the floor with a flourish. They held them up and gestured to each detail. As they did, they explained about each of them and the countless hours it took to create them. They explained how they were made by the Berber women in the Atlas Mountains by hand. And, how each color was imparted by the fiber of the plant they used to weave the carpet. “Look here at this magnificent carpet” they said. “This pattern is called a Berber Picasso. It is made of camel’s wool, and see this red color? That is obtained from apple skins.”
We learned that each carpet conveys a story in its design, painstakingly woven stitch by stitch by the woman who created it. Each and every pattern and its significance or story was described as they were presented. They discussed everything they possibly could about each one. We were told how they are reversible for summer or winter. They even went so far as to use a lighter to demonstrate the fact they are fire retardant! I was hesitant to even call them “rugs”, given the amount of theatrics that went into their attempted sale. The term seemed to pale in comparison to the impressive master craftmanship of the stunning artwork that laid before us!
Decisions, Decisions
They finally completed their talk about all the carpets and had a stack laying out before them. Starting with the top of the stack, they went around to each of us, asking our opinion of each one. We were instructed to say either “La”, which is Arabic for no, or “Iyah” for yes. If everyone rejected a carpet, it was tossed aside to an assistant waiting in the wings. He cradled the precious rejected carpet like a baby, carrying it out of sight to be unfurled another day. But if we choose a carpet, it was placed nearby. After we all made our final selections, they took each group of us to a smaller room. It was time to do some haggling.
Haggling happens to be a necessity in the carpet-selling business, or really any sales business at all, in Morocco. If you choose not to haggle, you might be seen as untrustworthy, or at least seen as rude. I left the haggling mostly up to my husband though, to be honest. He’s a much better haggler than I am. It was quite fun to watch though as comments were bantered back-and-forth and prices written down. Things were said like- “Is this price in U.S. dollars or Moroccan dirhams?” and, “Sir, please, I have a family to feed”. We were fortunately told though that if a price couldn’t be agreed upon, that we’d “still part as friends.”
Sealing the Deal
Finally, a price was agreed upon though. The deal was sealed once we shook hands on it, and absolutely no reneging was allowed. We selected a truly gorgeous silk carpet and runner, and they even threw in a small rug for free. They were quite generous really because they also shipped them to us for the same cost. We were not convinced to carry them ourselves, despite their impressive demonstration of how small they could fold to fit in our suitcase! I left feeling a sense of elation. We got an excellent deal on some beautiful carpets and it was a truly amazing experience!
To have such an iconic experience be our first taste of Moroccan culture was truly thrilling! I wasn’t sure that anything else could quite match or exceed that, but I was definitely willing to find out. Next up, a Moroccan road trip! Boy, was this going to be fun!
Leave a Reply