Iran unveiled what it said was the world's largest hand-woven carpet, worth US$5.8 million (NT$190 million) and larger than a football pitch, to be laid out in a United Arab Emirates mosque.
The carpet, adorned with green and cream colors, was made in 18 months from 38 tonnes of wool and cotton by 1,200 weavers in three villages in northeastern Iran, said the head of Iran's state carpet company, Jalaleddin Bassam.
It is to be spread out in the mosque in the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi. The mosque bears the name of UAE founding president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan.
PHOTO: EPA
The carpet, measuring 5,625 square meters, was made up of nine pieces that will be stitched together in the UAE to cover the floor of the central praying area of the massive mosque.
There are 2.2 billion knots in the carpet, which was made with the best wool from the southern Iranian town of Sirjan and from New Zealand. It contains 25 colors made up of 20 different natural dyes, Bassam said.
Several trucks were needed to take the carpet for the showing in Tehran and it will go to the United Arab Emirates by air in two separate planeloads.
He added that US$2.3 million (NT$75 million) of the contract will go to the villages where the carpet was made.
"Iran is in talks to make similar carpets for Oman and other Gulf countries," he said.
The handmade carpets, woven mostly by women, use naturally colored wool fibers. The most expensive items use silk fibers that lend a shiny look.
伊朗展示了全球最大的手工地毯,總價約五百八十萬美元(新台幣一億九千萬元),比足球場還要大。這張地毯將被放在阿聯的一間清真寺內。
伊朗國營地毯公司的負責人巴山說,這張綠色和奶油色的地毯歷時十八個月才編織完成,用了三十八公噸的羊毛和棉,並由一千兩百位裁縫師在伊朗北方的三個村子製作。
這張地毯將被放在阿聯的首都阿布達比、一間以該國開國總統名字命名的清真寺內。
這張地毯面積五千六百二十五平方公尺,由九塊地毯拼成。它們將在阿聯縫接,鋪蓋在這間巨大清真寺正中央的祈禱區。
巴山說,這張地毯上約有二十二億個針線結,全都是用來自伊朗南部城鎮Sirjan和紐西蘭最上等的羊毛,以二十種染料製作出二十五種顏色。
這張地毯還動用了好幾部卡車運送到德黑蘭的會場,之後則會以兩架次的貨機運到阿聯。
他說約二百三十萬美金(新台幣七千五百萬元)的酬勞將分給作地毯的幾個村落。
他說伊朗正和阿曼及其它波斯灣國家洽談製作類似的地毯。
手工地毯大部分由婦女織製,只使用天然染色的羊毛。而最貴的產品是加上絲,散發著閃耀光澤的地毯。(法新社/翻譯:張愛弟)
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