One of the sample of the Persian carpets to be on display at the second exhibition in Ha Noi next week. VNS Photo Le Huong

HA NOI (VNS) — The largest-ever exhibition of Persian carpets, showcasing more than 200 high-quality carpets hand-woven in the traditional way by Iranian artisans, will be held soon in downtown Ha Noi.

The second-of-its-kind exhibition will offer an insight into the 2,500-year-old handicraft of the people of Iran, through the introduction of two noted Iranian artisans, Bagher Seirafian and Amir Erami. They were named as the two best carpet weavers at the National Carpet Festival held in Tehran in August this year.

"In the past few years, the leaders of the two countries have tried their best to promote relationships in all fields," said Hossein Alvandi Behineh, Iranian Ambassador to Viet Nam, at a press conference this morning, "However, mutual understanding between the two peoples has been hindered by lack of information. One of the most important tasks for us now is to enhance people-to-people diplomacy.

"I hope the second carpet exhibition, following the successful one held here in 2009, will be an effective cultural event in the process," he stressed.

The ambassador noted that the art of making carpets is an expression of the Iranian civilisation. The weaving skills and decorative patterns on the carpets show the Iranian people's aesthetic ideology, beliefs and religions, besides culture, art and history.

The craft shows the creative Iranian passion, which has been handed down through generations over 2,500 years and been admired by the whole world, he said.

According to artisan Seirafian, each region and ethnic group in Iran has its own style of making carpets, which explains why those carpets have so much variety in terms of design and materials.

For instance, people living in the south-western desert region often weave carpets spontaneously without any planned design, while in other localities, the people plan the designs first, then process the colours from natural products such as leaves and nuts, before starting the weaving process.

"A complicated design [carpet] may take up to three years to complete," said artisan Erami.

"There are four main kinds of carpets, namely the ones which are made of 100 per cent worm silk; the ones made of sheep wool with small details made of worm silk; and the carpets made mostly of sheep wool with small details made of cotton; besides the carpets made of 100 per cent sheep wool," Mohammad Ebrahim Hatamifar, director of Safa Carpet Gallery, told Viet Nam News.

He added that 40 per cent of the Persian carpets are exported to China.

The exhibition will be held from November 21 to 23 at Melia Hanoi Hotel, 44B Ly Thuong Kiet Street. — VNS