Rug Repair

While wandering around Zamalek one evening last week after school, I came across this little shop that repairs oriental rugs.

The were three men working there. This one graciously allowed me to take his picture. They were busy repairing and reweaving what looked like serious problems with rugs. Some of them they had waiting to be picked up looked like nothing had ever happened to them. Others were obviously repaired, but still had lots of life left in them. Much depended on the tear and what was needed to repair the rug.



This is a closer view of the little man working on the rug. He used a variety of common tools to do the job, but mostly he matched colored wool yarn to the rug colors and worked the stitches in, retying them as in the original. He had to make a new foundation and weave that in and then format the repair. He did a wonderful job, but it looked like tedious work.

The shop was just a teeny-weeny little place; couldn't have been more that aobut 15 feet wide by about 25 feet deep. Inside it was stacked with work waiting, and as well as work that was taken apart for materials to be used to repair other rugs.

Zamalek is a large island in the Nile. It is fairly upscale. There are embassies there as well as dignitary housing. The American University of Cairo also has a dormitory there as well as one of their marvelous bookstores. The new Cairo Opera House is also on Zamalek as well as wonderful waterside restaurants, as well as lots of shopping. It is a fun place to wander.