The International Exhibition of Luxury and Antique Carpets, organised by Heritage Carpet and currently under way in Abu Dhabi, has on display one of the most expensive and rare carpets in the world. Titled The Universe and produced by the Amu Ogli weavers in Mashhad, Iran, the 30-square-metre carpet is part of King Reza’s collectibles. Other precious items at the exhibition include Shah Pahlavi, a priced possession of a private collector for decades worth Dh26 million; a luxurious piece from Harees, North East Iran, sporting a unique Islamic geometric design with lines of gold, valued at Dh9 million; and The Tree of Columbus, the Discoverer of America, one of the three masterful pieces in the world, worth Dh15 million.
“Five hundred and fifty million dirhams is the total value of the exhibits included in the International Exhibition of Luxury and Antique Carpets in Abu Dhabi,” says Amir Ghanbarinia, General Manager of Heritage Carpet. “The exhibition presents 37 rare and precious pieces of museum carpets. Preserved with precision and extreme care, each piece tells the story of a century-old craftsmanship and narrates a cultural heritage.”
Among the rare carpets is one that bears the image of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. However, some of the rare pieces are only for display.
“Antiques from the 18th and 19th centuries are on display for the first time ever in Abu Dhabi and are valued at a total of Dh350 million, while the rest of the pieces are worth Dh200 million dirhams," he adds. "The exhibition will also unveil a stunning collection of handcrafted Persian carpets.”
The exhibition runs until today at Bilsan Hall, Rosewood in Abu Dhabi from 10am-10pm. On display are 2,000 handmade Persian carpets, making it one of the largest carpet exhibitions in the world, in terms of the number of pieces displayed and their value.
A very small number of the public has enough knowledge about carpets, the difference between good and bad ones, and how to choose pieces that are suitable for acquisition, says Ghanbarinia. So the exhibition is more than just a window for selling luxurious Iranian carpets, it is also an educational experience.
“The more information and experience we provide to a larger number of the public, the more appreciative they will be of the pieces they own, and more trust we will earn. This trust has been key to our continued success. We’ve been in the business since 1841, which makes us the oldest company in the Iranian carpet trade that is still active today.”
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Carpet making is one of the most famous and oldest handicrafts in Iran, and according to Ghanbarinia, the first handmade carpet in the world was woven in Iran as per historical documents. The best evidence of this is the discovery of the oldest carpet in the Pazyryk cemetery, southern Siberia, dating back to the Achaemenid era, 300 to 400 years BC.
