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The resurgence of the Persian carpet trade

The centuries-old industry stands to benefit from the lifting of sanctions following the Iran nuclear deal.

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More than 700 Iranian carpet producers and exporters participated in the recent Iran Handmade Carpet Exhibition at Tehran's Permanent International Fairground. [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
By Mohammad Ali Najib
Published On 27 Nov 2015

Iran’s carpet industry is on the brink of a rebound. 

US-led sanctions against Iran dealt a major blow to the international trade in Persian carpets. Since 2009, exports shrank by as much as 33 percent, according to the Iranian state news agency. The decline battered the market, which provides a source of income for an estimated two million people.

Persian carpets/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
Local and international merchants from as far away as Japan, South Africa and the United States visited the exhibition in Tehran. [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
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Persian carpets/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
Iran's tradition of carpet-weaving dates back hundreds of years, and one museum in Tehran is exclusively dedicated to the craft. [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Persian carpets/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
The main materials used in Persian rugs are wool, silk and cotton. [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Persian carpets/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
In general, the materials are manually dyed in the preferred colours. [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Persian carpets/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
The skill and craft involved in the creation of these carpets has been passed down from generation to generation over the centuries. [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Persian carpets/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
A carpet designer works on new designs. [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
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Persian carpets have been exported to around 80 countries in this Persian calendar year. [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Persian carpets/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
About 45 percent of those exports went to Asia and 43 percent to Europe. [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Persian carpets/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
An estimated two million Iranians are employed in the country's carpet industry. [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Persian carpets/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
According to the Iranian government, the country's hand-woven carpet exports hit $330m in the last Iranian calendar year. [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Persian carpets/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
The first documented evidence of these carpets came from Chinese texts dating back to the Sassanid Empire (224-641 AD). [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Persian carpets/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
Iran used to export around 25 percent of its carpets to the US, but the imposition of sanctions hit the market hard. [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Persian carpets/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
Persian carpets are renowned for their richness of colour, variety of artistic patterns and quality of design. [Mohammad Ali Najib/Al Jazeera]