Monday, May 23, 2011

The Carpets of the Kingdom


When I’d first entered our rented apartment in Riyadh, I was surprised to step into the soft material that pampered my feet.  I marveled by the beautiful designs of the soft carpet that stretched to the four walls of the room in. I was yet to learn that carpets have a significant role in the interior decoration of Riyadh homes.

Though, carpet shopping hold a core role in home furnishing at Riyadh, I never had to go for the same. My home was already furnished with neat carpets that required cleaning once in a while. Therefore, I had no idea on the selection of carpets as we set out for our first shopping for carpets in Riyadh. 

We started around 6p.m to the carpet shops in the area of Exit 9. The hot summer sun was shining as if the time has moved just into the evening. However, cool air of air conditioners welcomed us as we entered one of the carpet galleries in the area.

Colorful carpets in splendid designs adorned the walls and floors of the shop. I felt like entering into an art gallery with masterful paintings. Indeed, it was aesthetic owing to the talent behind the carpet weaving. Apart from the Kingdom, most of the carpets came from Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan. It seems, there is a history for some exquisite carpets!

At first, we started to check out for the woven rugs. Since we were buying them for furnishing our home at India, we didn’t wait to check for the wall to wall carpets.  We were confused on which one to choose as we flapped through imaginative designs in rich colors. Finally we settled for one that suited our taste and budget.

It was then that I spotted the tufted carpets. They looked very comfy and plush. They were definitely destined for a cosy feeling in the bedrooms. We selected one polyester tufted rug in black and red shades for our master bedroom.  After getting it into our home our little Shreya is having a fun time on that!

After closing down our account in the first shop, we went to the neighbor showroom. Here, we were planning to get a rug for Shreya’s room. We finalized three carpets with the designs of Winnie the Pooh, Minnie Mouse and Speed Car for Shreya and her cousins. Our friends were happy to get the carpets with holy Makkah and Madinah designed on them. The deal was fixed for SR 100 per each carpet. However before we’d finished our shopping, the call for Salah came and we had to wait outside the shop.

We spent twenty minutes of the prayer time by watching the traffic on the roads.  Darkness was setting a blue shade on the leaves of Date Palms. The same happened as we returned to the shop after the Salah. The price of the carpets had increased to SR 150 per each one during the last twenty minutes. We lost our trust in the shop and came out without the rugs.

The time was around 9p.m as we reached back from shopping. When I got fresh up and hit the bed I thought of those people who had told that life at Riyadh is so dry. Life is definitely entertaining for us in this land with new discoveries and shopping experiences!

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