Two million people engaged in carpet industry in Iran

Two million people engaged in carpet industry in Iran

Zahedan, March 11, IRNA

Iran-Handmade Carpets
Deputy Commerce Minister Morteza Faraji said on Tuesday that there are 2 million people engaged in producing hand-woven carpets in Iran.

Faraji who is also the chief of Iran's National Carpet Center told IRNA that five million square meters of hand-woven carpets are produced in the country annually.

Moreover, the hand-woven carpets valued at dlrs 450 million have been exported last year and the figure is predicted to be the same during the current year, Faraji said.

He added that a maximum loan of one billion rials would be granted to carpet producers to expand carpet industry.

Holding provincial carpet fairs, producing movies about Persian carpets and showing advertisements on foreign TV channels are among the important measures taken so far by Iran's National Carpet Center to introduce Iranian hand-woven carpets and encourage foreign countries to buy them, Faraji said.

Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi biggest Persian Carpet in the world

Non-Muslims flock to sumptuous Abu Dhabi mosque

3 days ago

ABU DHABI (AFP) — Dozens of Westerners, including black-clad women, have been flocking to Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, an architectural masterpiece graced with a Persian carpet said to be the biggest in the world.

"It is the third biggest mosque in the world after the Haramain," boasted the project's deputy head, Khawla al-Suleimani, after Islam's two holiest sites in Saudi Arabia -- Mecca's Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.

But unlike these two mosques, the one named after the United Arab Emirates' late founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan, is not off-limits to non-Muslims.

In fact, the opposite is true, with some provisos.

Women must cover themselves from head to toe in abayas, or long black robes, handed them at the entrance.

"And non-Muslims must not touch the Koran," the Muslim holy book, copies of which are stacked in every prayer room, cautions one of the guides.

Armed with cameras to capture the splendour of the place, visitors have been coming from within the UAE "but also from abroad," said Suleimani.

"Hundreds have been coming every week since the opening (of the mosque) on the first day of Eid al-Adha," the Muslim feast of sacrifice which fell in December, she added.

The project was launched in 1998 by Sheikh Zayed, who besides being the UAE's first president was also ruler of the oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi, one of seven making up the Gulf federation. Work will be fully completed in November 2009.

Sheikh Zayed, who died in November 2004, is buried in a courtyard adjacent to the mosque.

"The mosque is dedicated to the father of the nation, whose vision was founded on dialogue between religions, civilisations and cultures," say brochures handed out to visitors by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.

The authority began to organise guided tours of the place last month.

"Apart from the thousands of (Muslim) faithful who come to pray, the mosque is visited by non-Muslims: Germans, French, Britons, Italians, Russians, Americans, Argentinians and Indians," it said in a guide.

-- Abu Dhabi seeking to become a cultural hub --

Unlike the leisure-oriented UAE emirate of Dubai, Abu Dhabi is seeking to become a cultural hub and sees the mosque as one more attraction for tourists looking for more than sandy beaches and huge shopping malls.

"As Sheikh Zayed wished, the mosque was built on a 9.5-metre (31-feet) high hill so it is visible from far, it covers an area of 22,000 square metres (237,000 square feet), and it can accommodate more than 40,000 faithful," said engineer Mohammad Ali al-Ameri.

Ameri said construction was nearly over, with only fences, gardens and car parks still to be completed.

"Built 100 percent with Italian marble, the mosque has four 107-metre (351-feet) tall minarets, 82 domes of seven different sizes, 96 columns inside and 1,048 outside," Ameri told AFP.

"Thousands of workers," nearly all from the Asian subcontinent, were involved in building the mosque, he said. The sculptors were Moroccan.

Thousands of rare and semi-precious stones, some encrusted in marble, were used to decorate the structure.

The centrepiece is a 6,000 square metre (64,583 square feet) hand-made Persian carpet, said to be the biggest in the world.

"More than 1,200 women from the Khorasan region in eastern Iran spent two years weaving the carpet, which weighs 45 tonnes and cost more than 8.5 million dollars," Ameri said.

The carpet covers the floor of the main prayer hall, which can accommodate up to 9,000 faithful.

Two rooms next to the main prayer hall, with a 1,500-capacity each, have been reserved for women, who can follow sermons delivered by prayer leaders on giant television screens. Islam requires men and women to pray separately.

The main dome is also "the biggest" mosque dome in the world, according to Ameri, who said it is 75 metres (246 feet) high with a 32.2-metre (105.6 feet) diametre.

Another breathtaking piece is a huge crystal chandelier in the main prayer hall, one of seven German-made chandeliers costing more than eight million dollars. It is 10-metre (32.8 feet) tall, 10-metre wide and weighs nine tonnes.

Ameri would not give the total cost of the mosque, but Suleimani estimated it at more than two billion dirhams (545 million dollars).

"Gabbeh" At Yale Center For British Art

Mar. 6

March 6, 2008

Magic carpets are a staple in Middle Eastern storytelling, and Iranian film master Mohsen Makhmalbaf gave the old theme a novel twist with his movie "Gabbeh."

In the 1996 Iranian New Wave classic, an elderly couple is washing a gabbeh, an intricately designed throw rug.

Magically, a beautiful young woman appears. She offers to help the oldsters clean the carpet. As it turns out, the young lady is a member of the clan depicted in the rug.

"Gabbeh" will be shown today at 7 p.m. sponsored by the Yale Center for British Art.

The film will be introduced by Beatrice Gruendler, professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. An informal discussion will follow the screening.

The screening is at the Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall St. The film is 75 minutes, in Persian with subtitles and unrated.

Admission is free.

— Susan Dunne

Kish Carpet Fair April 29 - May 2 2008

Kish - Handmade Carpet International Exhibition

Following five successful handmade Persian carpet exhibitions which were held in Kish and brought together famous producers and exporters with their unique collections, the Exhibition Committee has decided to hold the sixth exhibition at an international level, with carpet producers and dealers participating from across the world. Kish Island will host the Exhibition from 29 April - 2 May 2008.

A Free Trade Zone and renowned tourism resort, Kish Island possesses 21,000 square meters of exhibition space and a wealth of experience in holding various events. The Island offers a calm and pleasant environment for exhibitions and business activities. Foreign nationals need no entry visa and foreign goods may be easily imported into the Island benefiting from low rates of customs tariff. These favourable factors provide other countries with a suitable opportunity to take part in the exhibitions held on Kish Island.

The present exhibition is expected to attract a large number of carpet producers and dealers from around the world including Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, etc. Exhibitors from these countries, along with Iranian carpet producers and exporters, will display a wide variety of handmade carpets and floor coverings

Moreover, handmade carpet dealers from other countries who are invited by the Exhibition Committee have a suitable opportunity to buy their requirements and desired collections. Also, a large number of visitors are expected to attend and buy from the Exhibition.

Happy New Year and any one for a Tennessee Rug Society?

Hello,
The search function on my main page is finally
working.
http://www.spongobongo.com/

I am going to be im Memphis Tennessee for a while so
if anyone wants to show off their collection or just
talk rugs let me know.

I am trying to talk Jim Allen into forming the
Tennessee Rug Society with me. The problem is Jim and
I are such recluses we would probably have one meeting
every 5 or 10 years. Of course Jim gets out more than
I do I have not been to a rug society meeting this
century. No one even asks me to speak any more. I
guess I will just have to keep working on my Notes.

New Sections:
Guide to Khamseh Confederation Rugs
http://www.spongobongo.com/em/nm/eme9903.htm

Guide to Lori Rugs
http://www.spongobongo.com/em/nm/eme9938.htm

Guide to Lori Bags
http://www.spongobongo.com/em/nm/eme9919.htm

Notes on Lori Gabbehs
http://www.spongobongo.com/em/nm/eme9916.htm

Guide to Ladik Prayer Rugs
http://www.spongobongo.com/em/nm/eme9943.htm

Guide to Melas Rugs
http://www.spongobongo.com/em/nm/eme9942.htm

I also added in a few hundred rugs and revised and
expanded the notes. I am in the process of rewriting
and expanding the Shahsavan section. I am also
changing the format to make the Guide pages more user
friendly. The Notes really are my notes so I decided
to make them easier to navigate and to document more
of the things I take for granted.
Best wishes,
Barry O'Connell

BEWARE OF "TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE" OFFERINGS!!!!!

BEWARE OF "TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE" OFFERINGS!!!!!

I sell as a-bey on ebay and have done so for 5 years. I thought I
had seen everything but as those people in the "rich dead ancestor
let me give you 5 million dollar game MUST have proved", you can
always fool some of the people some of the time. I think in my heart
that my customers are absolutely sophisticated enough to realize the
utter falsity of these spammers bogus claims. I don't think these
slammers will garner a single dime from those that actually bid on
and buy my offerings. I sell antiques and people that buy them are
almost always investing their money as well as simply spending it.
These kinds of people know the spammers claims cannot possibly be
true. Let all others beware. Nobody is covered by ebays fraud
protection services, as anemic as they actually are, outside of a
legitimate ebay auction. Please ask me if you are a bidder on any of
my auctions and wonder about any of these offers. I will never hide
the names of my bidders as I am very proud to offer 100% ethical
auctions. There are never any shill bids on any of my auctions and I
encourage communication between bidders if the question ever arises
in your minds. Sincerely Jim Allen

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

The capital basks in its Glory

By Nissar Hoath on Friday, February 29 , 2008

(SALIM KHAMIS) The Glory of Abu Dhabi is the name that many have given to the newly opened Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The majestic landmark with its 57 domes – including the world’s largest – and four 107-metre minarets dominates every approach to the capital. The structure, which cost Dh2.2 billion to build and covers 22,000 square feet, is one of the world’s 10 largest mosques and can accommodate 40,000 worshippers. It contains the world’s largest chandelier, made with one million Swarovski crystals, as well as the largest carpet. It opened for prayers for the first time on Eid Al Adha, with The President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi, General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and other senior officials and sheikhs taking part. Now residents and tourists, who have previously been limited to gazing at the mosque while driving into Abu Dhabi, can see what it looks like inside. The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has opened the doors for guided tours from Saturday to Thursday. The first group spent 90 minutes having a close look, strolling along walkways between date-palm-shaped pillars with gleaming golden leaves. They gaped at the massive sparkling chandelier and studied the meticulous craftsmanship of the vast hand-made Persian carpet. Many said they were struck by a sense of coolness, calmness and peace, and felt they were escaping from their worldy troubles. And this feeling is shared by regular worshippers. “I have never had such peace of mind and relief from negative thoughts that I have experienced in this mosque,” said Abdul Hameed, a taxi driver originally from Pakistan. “My first visit was for the Eid Al Adha prayers. Though it was filled with hundreds of people there was pin-drop silence other than the synchronised, echoing sounds of prayers. Now I regularly offer my Friday prayers in the mosque and whenever I’m upset I just go there and spend hours in prayers, reciting verses from the Quran.” Nassir Saif Al Reyami, director of ADTA’s Licensing and Classification Division, organised the first tour. He said: “The mosque reflects the true spirit of Islam, a religion of peace and tolerance. “The tours will allow residents and tourists alike to experience this inspiring addition to Islamic architecture and to receive an insight into Islam and Abu Dhabi’s heritage from trained and certified tourist guides. “It stands as a symbol of the warm hospitality and traditions of Abu Dhabi and informs travellers of this message as they approach the capital. The role of the mosque is to embody the emirate of Abu Dhabi and Arabic and Islamic traditions and culture.” The mosque combines traditional Islamic designs with modern architectural techniques. Craftsmen from around the world were commissioned to produce the finest materials for the construction and interior decoration. The German-made Swarovski chandelier was produced with 28 different types of marble and 24-carat gold. The giant rug was made by the Iran Carpet Company at a cost of Dh31 million. It was airlifted in nine pieces on two chartered Russian Illusion cargo planes from Tehran last August. On arrival in Abu Dhabi it was transported to the mosque on a fleet of nine trucks where two groups of Iranians rolled out the pieces as a single carpet. Another group travelled from Iran to trim and line the rug and finally a team arrived to clean it and apply the final touches. The carpet covered an area of more than 6,000 square metres and weighed more than 40 tonnes when it was originally rolled out. Trimming and cleaning reduced the size to 5,625 sq m and the weight to 30 tonnes. The mosque sits on a nine-metre-high platform to make it clearly visible from all over Abu Dhabi. The world-record dome on the main building is 83m high, has an inner diameter of 32.8m and weighs 1,000 tonnes. It was assembled with fibre-solidified gypsum by a specialist team from Morocco. The mosque was built with 210,000 cubic metres of concrete, reinforced with 33,000 tonnes of steel. And, to cope with thousand of worshippers, there are 100 ablution points. Visiting the mosque Anyone wishing to visit Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque can prebook by sending an e-mail to: zayedmosquetour@adta.ae. Visitors are advised to wear modest, conservative and loose-fitting clothes with women covering their heads as a mark of respect. Long sleeves are required and shorts or short skirts are not acceptable. As footwear has to be removed before entering the mosque, slip-off shoes are recommended. The world’s largest rug Some 1,400 weavers, technicians, designers, dyers and other workers spent 21 months producing the mosque’s giant rug in Iran. “The rug has 2.2 billion knots and was produced by hand-picked weavers,” said Dr Jalaluddin Bassam, managing director of the Iran Carpet Company. The design work took six months, the weaving a year and the finishing work a further three months. “The carpet is made of wool and cotton in 25 different colours – no silk was used,” added Bassam. “Fifty per cent of the wool came from Iran and the other 50 per cent from New Zealand. We used pure natural wool from the Sistan and Baluchestan and Hormuzgan provinces, which are famous for their fine wool produced by nomads. And pure Iranian cotton was used. The 25 colours include 20 natural dyes and five fast synthetic colours.” The rug was assembled by weavers at three large workshops in three different villages in Nishapur near Meshhad, the capital of the province of North Khorasan. The province – particularly Meshhad and its remote areas – is the centre of production of the famous Meshhadi, Balochi and Torkmen rugs. The mosque rug’s design features Islamic and traditional Iranian floral art and motifs.