Is it worth buying carpets in Sharjah to take back to Europe or UK? | ExpatWoman.com
 

Is it worth buying carpets in Sharjah to take back to Europe or UK?

87
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 October 2016 - 17:38
Hi all Was at lunch this afternoon at Souk Al Bahar and across the arcade, came to a carpet shop, in fact two shops but only managed to go into one. It's Kashmir rugs but also Iranian rugs. How does these compare with Persian rugs? I would prefer wool rugs as I have bought rugs from Afghanistan in Cape Town a decade ago. Around five years back whilst on a cruise, we were shown to a multitude of rugs in Istanbul. Wool and silk this time. Free shipment back to UK, arrived intact. Just wondered if anyone has bought Kashmir rugs before as they look quite good today but am not so keen on some of the designs. One medium size came up to AED50,000. Is this correct? No bargaining yet though.
654
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EW GURU
Latest post on 02 October 2016 - 16:23
There are plenty of rug shops in the UK and the auction houses are flooded with good quality Persian / Middle Eastern / Turkish rugs. I find the prices in the UK much more reasonable than what I found in Dubai and Sharjah, which we found rather expensive for what you were getting. I also like the range available in the UK much better. Most rugs available in the UAE are the newer Persians, which are quite flowery and not to my taste. I much prefer the older, more tribal Persians, which are not woven any more for the most part. I talked to a local dealer in the UK about rugs and he says the domestic market in the UK does not respond positively to Persian rugs these days, unlike in the past, and if they do want to buy a rug, it's almost always the older tribal rugs like Heriz or Malayers. There's actually low demand for rugs in the UK so many dealers are struggling as people want clean, light and modern interiors these days. The only people buying the new flowery Persians are Middle Eastern expats or people of Middle Eastern heritage who now live in the UK.
394
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 02 October 2016 - 12:21
Thanks ann - it really is hard to choose though!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 01 October 2016 - 22:05
if you are buying handwoven or iranian/ persian rugs, I think it would be very worthwhile. I have taken about 5 UK tourists to Blue Souk and they have all been complimented on numerous occasions when they went home. One also managed to sell one for 3x cost last year as they are pretty tough to find over there. More usual are the turkish kilims. Happy shopping!!
394
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 01 October 2016 - 16:53
I'm thinking of getting some rugs at Sheba carpet shop in the Blue Souq - but is it really worth it to take back to UK with the shipping costs etc? Is anyone else doing this? What sort of discount can one get at Sheba or other shops in Blue Souq - 10%, 15% or more?
 
 

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