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Dubai: Rare antique carpets used by kings, on display at Atlantis the Royal
Weavers would sometimes take over a decade to create these intricate handwoven pieces
Photos by Neeraj Murali
The newest glittering jewel on the Dubai skyline, Atlantis the Royal, is hosting an exclusive ancient carpet exhibition until April 10. This invite-only, view-only event features a collection of rare, intricate, and handwoven carpets that transport the viewer all the way back to the 1800s, when they were used by kings.
The exhibition is organised by Amir Ghanbarinia and Dr Afshin Ghanbarinia of Heritage Carpets, with the aim of keeping interest and the tradition of carpet weaving alive.
For instance, the carpet pictured below was woven on the orders of King Naser Al Din Shah Qajar, of the Qajar dynasty in the 1800s. The entire process of its production took over a decade, undergoing multiple phases of drafts. Artists were brought in from India, Armenia, China, and Iran to finish the piece.The carpet is the most expensive in the exhibition depicting the message of humanity.
“The main motive of such an exhibition is to keep the art of carpet weaving alive in the younger generation, so they value the work behind creating these masterpieces and for educating and cultural awareness. There are carpets worth $200,000 to $7 million showcased at this event,” said Amir.
“We need to bring the children into an understanding of this magnificent art that has been cherished for thousands of years, and they can feel it and touch it at this exhibition,” added Amir.
The Ghanbarinia family entered carpet weaving in 1841. They mastered the craft and passed the business down for generations. “We are the fifth generation of our family in this business. We started from Iran and have our presence in 29 countries worldwide,” said Mahmood Ghanbarinia, father of the brothers, and chairman of Heritage Carpets.
“We are thankful to the founding fathers of the UAE and the current leaders for supporting us, as this country became the gateway to showcase and sell these magnificent pieces of art worldwide because of the logistics, professionalism, and accessibility of the UAE,” added Mahmood, who opened his first outlet in the Emirates 40 years ago.
As many as 30 carpets dating back to the 1800s are showcased here. “These masterly pieces are of museum quality with the highest grade of raw material used, including the thread and unique designs,” said Dr Afshin Ghanbarinia.
These carpets showcased at the exhibition belong to private collectors and the Ghanbarinia family, a few sourced from different parts of the world. Dr Afshin said that in the past, there was more awareness of the value of carpets, not only for their beauty, but as primary investments. “It is challenging to find good and authentic pieces. It’s a journey to understand the art, weaving, and quality before making the purchase,” said Dr Afshin.
‘A story behind every carpet’
This type of carpet originated in Iran more than 2,500 years ago, each with a different story behind it. Earlier, these pieces were woven according to the country’s terrain, natural beauty, motifs of nature, artistic flowers like lotus, Iranian art like ceramics and tiles, poetry, pictures of scenery in different parts of Iran, and much more. “The ageing process of these carpets is unique, and they develop with age becoming softer and pleasing to the eyes with vibrant colours turning much more beautiful,” said Dr Afshin.
Dr Afshin said that this is very sustainable art. He explained that the process was completely natural, and that an entire family took part in its production in the earlier days. “The wool used in the carpet was shaved from a lamb by one family member. Others were into dyeing, design, weaving, and various other tasks,” said Afshin.
Take a look at this carpet, with a size of 420x312 centimetres. It is an extremely rare, oversized, antique pictorial carpet constructed with pure cork wool.
It depicts battle scenes of multiple levels weaved in the 1800s in Tehran (then Persia), and belongs to the family’s collection.
This carpet illustrates the status and different sections of people in the community in the 1800s. Ahmed Mohamed Hassan Ghazi, carpet enthusiast, said that this is one of the most valuable carpets ever made.
A decade to make
Once the wool is taken from the sheep, it is washed, and fibres are straightened by the hand and spun into yarn. The yarn is then dyed (natural dye) into hundreds of required colours and dried in the sun for days. A detailed illustration of the carpet design is made by the master weaver on graph paper.
“The master weaver has to work for several days depending on the carpet size. If the carpet to be made is four square meters in area, four people working for nearly 10 hours daily will take nearly two years. For carpets of larger size and high quality with intricate design elements, it can take more than ten years for the masterpiece to be completed,” said Dr Afshin.
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