Royal Oriental Carpet
This enormous shop sits modestly below the sidewalk along
Navarhou Nikodimou. You would never realize the treasures
that lie beneath you unless you were curious enough to creep
down the steps and have a peek. I promise you will be flabbergasted
at the selection of antique and new carpets you will find!
Just the shop in Plaka alone has over 3,000 different rugs
to choose from!
Ioannis Zaharis (his last name means "Sugar"
in Greek) is the owner of this incredible store. He carefully
selects his carpets one by one in order to ensure the best
selection and quality. His taste is immaculate and his concern
for quality shows in every piece.
The majority of rugs are handmade using silk, wool, cotton,
or combinations of them. Most of these rugs are Persian
who's quality is unmatched. This shop also has the most
impressive and largest selection of oversized rugs in Athens.
Of course, you will also find traditional Greek rugs, kilims,
and various other attractive designs. Most of the carpet
shops I have found in the area sell mainly machine made
works and carry a few special handmade pieces. In Ioannis's
place, the first thing you will learn is that his shop is
exactly the opposite. If you are looking to find a carpet
to take home with you my best advice is to start and end
here.
