Turkuaz, the well-known fine dining restaurant located in Senopati, South Jakarta, does more than just serving authentic Turkish cuisine: the Turkuaz Gallery introduces the ancient art of carpets to guests.
The gallery is run by Chef Sezai Zorlu’s brother Ozgur, who has extensive knowledge about carpets from all over the world and has previously worked as director for international carpet galleries and auction houses. He happily advises guests and collectors on the quality, value and maintenance of the carpets.
“Many people think that carpets are just something they step on, but they forget that it is actually an art form,” Sezai explained. “It is also a very good investment. Haji Jalili, for example, was a Persian master weaver and his carpets are priceless – especially since he only made 28 carpets in his life, and eight of them are in our collection.”
Unfortunately, he said, weaving carpets is a dying art form.
“It will probably disappear in 50 years from now,” he said. “The young generation doesn’t want to live in the villages anymore to learn about making carpets. Therefore, it makes them even more lucrative as investment. The value increases year by year.”
Sezai added that the number of collectors in Indonesia is growing.
“I’d say that there are currently around 30 serious collectors in the country.”
In addition to carpets, Turkuaz also features a Lighting House, where guests can browse handmade mosaic lamps, made out of shards of handblown glass, as well as other handcrafted souvenirs.
www.turkuazgallery.com
