Madani took us to a great store full of handmade rugs. They had some amazing pieces, all hand-made. The proprietor had his helpers lay out rug after rug for us, and we would say the Arabic for "take it" or "save it" (I forget the exact words). They poured us tea while they showed off their rugs. It was fun. Finally, we found a rug we really liked, and the owner wanted us to buy two for a "great deal". We insisted on one, and he wrote down a price. I wrote down a much smaller price, and this went on for a little while until I told him we weren't going to over some imaginary budget. Finally he relented, and they packed us a beautiful souvenir to take home with us.
I hope I got a good deal. We do know a little about rugs, so we didn't get totally ripped off, but who knows if we overpaid. Apparently, if you don't bargain, the shopkeepers feel disappointed. Nevertheless, we have a great souvenir, and a story and a memory behind it, so all in all it's worth it no matter what the price.
Here's the shopkeeper and I sealing the deal:
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