Iran weaving world’s next largest carpet
A group of skilled Iranian craftsmen are weaving what will be the world’s next largest carpet in the country’s northeastern Khorasan Razavi Province.
Some 300 carpet weavers are working on the grand projects in Yusefabad Village located near the historical city of Neishabour.
The Naqsh-e-Jahan co-operative company is conducting the project which is expected to be finished in the next two years, Mehr News Agency reported.
The company has created two of the world’s largest carpets so far, the first of which is 5,600 square meters and covers a mosque in Oman.
The second largest carpet was designed and woven for the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and is estimated to have cost about nine million dollars.
The 6,000-square-meter carpet was designed by Iranian artist Ali Khaliqi and consists of 2,268,000 knots woven by 1,200 craftsmen. Carpet weavers took the pieces to Abu Dhabi to stitch the entire work for the final fitting.
Carpet weaving is undoubtedly one of the most distinguished manifestations of Iranian culture and art, which dates back to ancient Persia.
There is an estimated population of 1.2 million weavers in Iran producing carpets for domestic markets and international export.
Iran exports carpets to more than 100 countries, as hand-woven rugs are its main non-oil export item. The country produces about five million square meters of carpets annually -- 80 percent of which are sold in international markets.
Experts say the production of low-cost carpets made of felt, leather and thick fiber by Pakistan, India, China and Turkey has harmed the global market for authentic Persian rugs.
Source: presstv.ir
