An Iranian carpet, especially one from Tabriz, is worth more than gold.
— Our Iranian guide gives us an economics lesson in the old carpet section of the Tabriz bazaar.
The largest bazaar in the Middle East. The world's largest covered market. A UNESCO World Heritage site. That's the Tabriz bazaar. And deep inside, old men, purveyors of grand old Persian Azerbaijani carpets, drink tea, smoke qalyan, and stay open only four hours a day. Voices are low, relationships are being formed — and deals are being made.
Iranian carpets are renowned for their quality and style around the world. They truly are works of art, and also of great labor, many of them taking years at the hands of the nimble and skilled. But we've been told that a Tabriz carpet is the crème de la crème of all Iranian carpets (locals from Esfahan and Mashad may argue with this). And of course, the older they are, the more prized they become.
