Day Five: Pergamon and the Carpet Factory

We left the hotel early the next day in order to get ahead of the rest of the tour buses.  Pergamon is always a busy site and there can be long lines because of the need to ride the gondola to the top.  It was a short drive to Pergamon, an ancient Greek city from the Hellenistic period and we were one of the first buses to arrive.  We took the gondola to the top of the hill and then Suleyman gave us a tour of Acropolis.

Riding the gondola

View from the gondola

We went to the Temple of Trajan and also saw the famous Library of Pergamon which is said to have held over 200,000 books.  Suleyman explained that the Pergamenes invented the use of parchment for books when there was a shortage of papyrus.  We had plenty of time to explore the area, pose for photos and climb the hill for a great view.

Columns of Temple of Trajan

Greek Statues

More Greek Statues

Temple of Trajan

Marengo travelers

Our group

Suleyman

Craig checks out the view from the top

Looking down on Trajan's Temple

The most impressive structure was the Theatre of Pergamon,  one of the steepest theatres in the world, with a seating capacity of 10,000.  We gathered as a group  for a photo and Yvette sang Oh Canada from the stage area.  What a view from the theatre!!

Theatre of Pergamon

Beside the theatre was the famous Altar of Zeus.  The Altar was removed in 1871 and taken to a museum in Berlin Germany.

This tree was probably planted after the altar was removed

We had some free time after our tour to do some shopping, use the washrooms, and grab a snack before we headed down to the bus.

Eating a Simit

Our next stop was the Carpet Shop in Bergama called Desen Halicilik, which is part of the Carpet Weavers' Association.  We had been told that this would be the place to buy a quality rug from a reputable place.   The shop is a women's coop which represents 144 villages and 17,000 women.  The women come here to learn the art of carpet weaving and then they can work from home later and earn a living doing so.  We were told that the workers keep 99% of the profit earned from the sales.  Our bus was met by a guide and he took us into the workshop.  He began by telling us about the natural dyes that are used to colour the wool, silk and cotton used in their products.  There were bowls of onion skins, nuts, seeds and other items to show us the beautiful colours that are produced.

The Coop we visited

All natural products used to dye the wool, cotton or silk

Then he explained how the silk is extracted and spun.  The pods bobbed around in a large vat and one of the girls demonstrated how the silk is removed and spun onto a wheel.  We had an opportunity to feel the silk threads as they were spun.

Spinning the silk

Examining a pod

From there we watched a  group of wome demonstrating how to tie knots on the large looms.  We each had an opportunity to learn how to tie double knots which are used to make carpets.

Learning to tie a double knot

We entered the show room and all of  our group were offered a glass of wine or apple tea.  Carpets of various sizes and made from different materials were displayed and we were able to ask questions about the various designs and then some of our group made purchases.

Our guide and salesman

Waiting for our apple tea and wine

So many beautiful carpets