
Carpet seller Hikmet Sirlak and his colleague at Recep Karaduman carpets in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar. Lizzie Porter / The National
Carpet seller Hikmet Sirlak and his colleague at Recep Karaduman carpets in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar. Lizzie Porter / The National
Postcard from Istanbul: Turkey's carpet traders weather the economic storm
Despite competition from cheap imports, traders of handwoven rugs refuse to give up on preserving the region's traditional textiles