27 September 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Iran is looking to revive its carpet-weaving industry by creating the world's largest rug.
The massive rug will cover almost 6,000 square meters.
Officials at the state-supported Iranian carpet company tasked with making the rug say it will take 2,000 weavers 14 months to complete their work. Weaving is set to begin in three months.
The carpet has been ordered by the Sheikh Zayed mosque now under construction in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The rug's selling price is $8.2 million.
Hand-woven carpets are traditionally Iran's top non-oil export. But the industry has suffered from a rise in sales of cheaper Pakistani, Chinese, and Indian copies of traditional Iranian patterns.
(Reuters)
Officials at the state-supported Iranian carpet company tasked with making the rug say it will take 2,000 weavers 14 months to complete their work. Weaving is set to begin in three months.
The carpet has been ordered by the Sheikh Zayed mosque now under construction in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The rug's selling price is $8.2 million.
Hand-woven carpets are traditionally Iran's top non-oil export. But the industry has suffered from a rise in sales of cheaper Pakistani, Chinese, and Indian copies of traditional Iranian patterns.
(Reuters)