This year's Carpet and Souvenir Oasis is displaying some of the world's finest artistic creations and antique collections in the industry's history at its new venue at the West Exhibition Hall of Dubai Airport Expo.

The exhibition has been spread through the hall and features live demonstrations of carpet weaving by trained craftsmen and women from Iran, an Arabic calligraphy exhibition, an exhibition of ceramic works and a souvenir oasis. According to exhibitors, this year's Carpet Oasis offers much more variations in designs and price and quality.

Mohammed S. Al Ghazali, owner of Qum Persian Carpets and Novelties, said: "In terms of variety and quality, we have a wider choice than before. Customers will be spoilt with the varieties that we have placed in the Oasis. We have carpets that are of antique value, some woven 150 years ago."

Al Ghazali showed some of the antique collections he has kept for the festival, some made more than a century ago. One, he said, is priced at Dh 250,000.

Among these, a good number of carpets have Arabic calligraphy, natural scenes and landscape.
Irshad Ahmed of the Pride of Kashmir, said: "Some of our designs are 180 years old and have been copied by many countries. We are offering one of them – ARTIBIL – which is being reproduced by many other companies. This is one of the oldest and most popular designs."

Ahmed said they have carpets in the range from 250 knots per sq. inch to 2,500 knots per sq. inch. "The best carpets, we have here are of 2,500 knots. The higher number of knots you have, the better the weaving."

All the exhibitors have praised the new location of the Oasis at the Airport Expo following previous years' venues at the Dubai World Trade Centre and giant tents erected near the Creek Golf and Yacht Club and next to the Hyatt Regency.

Al Ghazali said: "The arrangements here are excellent and I am happy to have the Carpet Oasis at the Airport Expo. All the facilities here are unique.

"I hope they make it a permanent facility for the Oasis. We are tired of shifting our location every time. I think the authorities should consider Dubai Expo for Carpet Oasis every year.
"There's plenty of parking space, less traffic jams and easy communication to and from the city centre."

Customers also have praised the facilities and the varieties in the Oasis. An American visitor from Dahran, Saudi Arabia, who bought four silk carpets for Dh 31,000, said: "The exhibition is full of choices and I find it very exciting."

Nahed, another shopper from Saudi Arabia, said: "Some of the finest carpets are displayed here." But the exhibitors also claimed that most buyers are not aware of the new location.
"I am getting a lot of calls from my customers in Oman, Bahrain and other GCC countries about the new location of the Oasis," said Al Ghazali. "Sometimes it's difficult to explain to them as most of them are not familiar with the Airport Expo."

Riyaz Ali of Afghan Carpets, said sales are starting to increase. "I think it's too early to predict anything as we will know more about the flow of customers in the next few days. People have just begun to come and it's picking up." Carpet Oasis is open from 10am until 10pm on weekdays and from 4pm until 10pm at weekends.