In 1983, shortly after I had started buying and importing rugs, I met a man called Yusuf Ergola who told me the following fable:

Nasradin Hoja is well known in the middle east as the central character in a huge number of tales which illustrate human follies and foibles. They form part of the Sufi tradition which often uses stories to illuminate our weaknesses.

Nasradin is shown as a mild mannered fool and his innocent questions reveal the stupidity of many of our actions.

In this story, Nasradin was to be seen rushing around the countryside in pursuit of his donkey. His donkey managed to evade him and in due course the donkey entered the town.

Nasradin followed his donkey down narrow streets, closing the distance between them. Just as Nasradin caught up with the beast, the donkey turned and went into the bazaar.

Nasradin promptly set off for home.

The town's people who had watched the chase with some amusement were bewildered that he had given up the chase at this point.

They stopped Nasradin and asked him why he had not followed his animal into the narrow lanes of the bazaar where a runaway donkey would be very easy to catch.

Nasradin turned and explained that the donkey would no longer be the same animal with which he had left home.

Entering the bazaar had changed the animal so dramatically that Nasradin no longer recognised it as his donkey. It had ceased to be his.

I looked at Yusuf as he finished the story, and he could see by my expression that I had not got the point of the story. "You cannot go into the bazaar and emerge the same person" he told me simply.

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