I have, two of them. And they are among my most prized possessions. One is about an 8x10, the other is like a bath mat ... both pale silk.

I was there (Istanbul) on business trips, and one of my associates was Turkish (that was why he was on our deal team). He took me to where his "Mom shopped for rugs".
I have no idea if they were a good deal or not; it was an upscale store in an upscale area. I can find the name if you want. There was haggling, as nice as it was, of course.

I do recall that there were too many digits to fit in the boxes on the Amex charge receipt. At the time if was 240,000 Turkish Lira to one USD ... so pricey items were a LOT of digits.

Where exactly are you going? Istanbul is one of my fave cities.

Hey, no less than the NyTimes, WaPO and Smithsonian have written on this topic...

Here is a link that might be useful: fwiw

A neighbor was stationed there with the army for several months and bought several carpets. He said, he'd keep walking away and the price would keep falling....

I wasn't involved, but in-laws bought the rug that is in my kitchen while they were in Turkey. It arrived several weeks after their return. It had my FIL's signature on the back and came with a card that described it.

It is a stunningly gorgeous rug and wears like iron despite being a) in a kitchen and b) in a home with ill mannered pets.

Be aware that if it is large enough that I needs to be shipped you will probably receive a tax bill from customs a few months later. About two years ago DH went to India on business and brought back a silk rug. Close to a year later we received the tax bill. (I think the rug is ugly and too expensive for what it is. He has it in his office ... I asked DH not to bring back any more home décor items!! )

Even if you don't ship it, you'd have to declare it, and IIRC the family limit is still only $800. From my experiences the duties imposed are complex and arcane and hard to know in advance.

Thanks for all of this information. I did read somewhere to use a sharpie and write your name and address on the backing immediately after buying. I will be in Istanbul and Kusadasi (Ephesus) in Turkey.

If you've done your research, you should be okay. Know what you will pay and what is too much for your budget.

Be sure to examine the rug, turning it over to look at the knots, etc.

Be prepared to bargain. Then bargain some more. It is expected, and no one really expects you to pay the price that is first stated. Bargaining can go on for a while, with the shop owner offering you cups of tea or even something to eat.

If you can't get the price down to what you want for one rug, sometimes asking for a second, smaller (or in other ways less expensive) rug to be thrown in can seal the deal.

If you look non-Turkish, people will walk up to you on the street and invite to you their brother/father/cousin's rug store. You can go or not as you choose. If you stop by a store and spend more than a minute or two looking, someone may come out and press you to enter. This is very normal if you look like a tourist. You can just smile, shake your head, and walk away if you are not interested.

Look all you want. Ask prices. But once you start to bargain in earnest, there will be more of an expectation that you will buy something. But it doesn't have to be what you started bargaining for. Not to scare you or anything--just be sure that you really want something before you get very involved in negotiating the price.

There are plenty of wool rugs available. You need only buy silk if you want to.

(My brother's wife is Turkish and they have lived there for the past 16 years. Bargaining is a sport and an art form there. )

Lucky you! Istanbul is one of my favorite places. It feels exotic in a way few places do. The call to prayer is very moving. The food, the architecture. I still have some pretty little bowls I bought there, as do my BFF and DS. It makes me want to go back just thinking of it!

Try a cruise on the Bosporus if you can.

I am jealous you will see Ephesus. My DH and I went to Istanbul, Izmir and Pamukale, and we were supposed to see Ephesus but had to come home for a work emergency. Have a wonderful time and take lots of photos to post!

Texanjana, FWIW,

I am reading book you might want to consider before you go, or to take on your trip. It is a love story by a Nobel prize winning Turkish author. I have just started it, and I think it's great.

We bought a couple of small rugs in Turkey and had them shipped home. They were supposed to take care of the taxes with the import paper work when they shipped them and we didn't have to pay any tax.

The rug dealer we bought from brings a truck load of rugs to California once a year or so. We bought our family room rug from him on one of those trips.

The silk ones are generally better for low traffic (or hanging as a decoration).

The wool rugs are better if you are going to put it somewhere with high traffic as they are more durable. They have lots of wool rugs - more than the silk ones though there are plenty of them too.