Istanbul: Turkish Carpet Weaving Workshop & Tea

You Sit at the Loom and Actually Weave Your Own Turkish Carpet

You'll sit at a traditional loom with a certified guide, learn the basic weaving technique, and create your own small Turkish carpet over a few hours. Tea, coffee, and snacks are included throughout, and the workshop timing is flexible to fit your Istanbul schedule. You take home your finished handmade piece: no experience required, and kids are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Turkish carpet weaving workshop experience

• Arrive at weaving workshop
• Enjoy tea, coffee, and snacks
• Listen to stories about Turkish culture
• Sit at loom and weave carpet
• Complete and take home handmade carpet

The experience

The sound of the loom is quieter than you'd expect: a soft, rhythmic clack as the shuttle moves through the threads. You're sitting at one now, your hands learning the motion, and the guide is standing close enough to catch you if the pattern breaks. This isn't a museum tour where you watch someone else work. You're the one turning colored threads into something real, something you'll carry home in a bag that afternoon.

The workshop sits within a 10-minute walk from wherever you are in Istanbul, and the timing is yours. You call it, they fit it in. Groups stay small, which means the guide actually watches you work instead of narrating to twenty people at once. Between the weaving, there are stories: why certain colors mean certain things, how a carpet tells you where it's from, what the patterns actually say if you know how to read them. Turkish tea arrives without being asked, then coffee, then snacks that somehow keep coming. The whole thing has the feeling of sitting in someone's living room, except you're learning a craft that's been done the same way for centuries.

Most people walk in saying they have zero skills. By the time they're tying off their last knot, they're surprised at what their hands made. Kids do it too, even the restless ones find something to focus on once the loom gives them a job. You don't leave with a fridge magnet or a keychain. You leave with an actual piece of Turkish carpet that you wove yourself, which is the kind of souvenir that actually means something when you look at it later.

What’s included

Your workshop includes a certified guide, all weaving equipment, Turkish tea, coffee, water, and snacks. You'll spend a few hours at the loom learning the technique and creating your own carpet, which you take home at the end.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day12 departure times: the first at 11:00, the last at 19:30

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (5 and older) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupUp to 12

Live guideEnglish, Arabic and Turkish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Stroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Anatolian Heritage Workshop

Is this one for you?Book this if you want a hands-on memory of Istanbul that doesn't involve shopping in a bazaar. You'll actually make something with your own hands instead of just buying it, and the flexible timing means you fit it into whatever free afternoon you have.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Arabic and Turkish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (under 5): free.

Do I need any weaving experience?

No. The workshop is designed for complete beginners, including children. The guide teaches you the basic technique and stays with you throughout.

How long does the workshop take?

Timing is flexible and arranged between you and the workshop based on what works for your schedule.

What do I take home?

Your own handmade Turkish carpet piece that you wove during the session.

Are refreshments included?

Yes. Turkish tea, coffee, water, and snacks are provided throughout the workshop.

How do I get to the workshop?

It's within a 10-minute walk from your location in Istanbul. Public transportation options are also available nearby.