| 18th hand-woven carpet exhibit opens Sept 23 | ||||
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 18th hand-woven carpet exhibit opens Sept 23The 18th Hand-Woven Carpet Exhibition will open here in the Permanent International Fairground on September 23 with the participation of 350 companies from 68 countries. According to a report by the National Center of Iran Carpet, last year 50 countries participated at the one-week event. This year's participating countries include China, Japan, Russia as well as European and American countries and Caspian Sea littoral states. Carpet weaving is an ancient tradition in Iran. The Persian carpet with its fast colors, fine designs and unique texture, has always been the most tangible manifestation of Persian arts for other nations. Although carpet production is now mostly mechanized, traditional hand-woven carpets are still widely found all around the country, and usually have higher prices than their machine-woven counterparts due to them being an artistic presentation. There is an estimated population of 1.2 million weavers in Iran producing carpets for local markets as well as export. In recent times, Iranian carpets have come under fierce competition from other countries producing fakes of the original Iranian designs as well as genuine cheaper substitutes. Most of the problems facing this traditional art are due to the absence of patenting and branding the products as well as reduced quality of raw materials in the local market and the consistent loss of original design patterns. The absence of modern research and development is causing rapid decline in the size as well as the market value of this art. Persian carpet is an essential part of the Persian arts and culture. Carpet-weaving is undoubtedly one of the most distinguished manifestations of Persian culture and arts, and dates back to the ancient Persia. |
