1. 5dubai shopping festival
Gulf News | Thursday, January 15, 2015 | Advertising Supplement
Dubai shopping festival4
Advertising Supplement | Thursday, January 15, 2015 | Gulf News
Weaves of delightn The 20th edition of the Carpet and Art Oasis pays tribute to the ancient craft with an impressive display
of 220,000 pieces from countries such as Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan
Y
ou know an event
has staying power at
the Dubai Shopping
Festival when it has
not only managed to remain a
permanent fixture in the line-
up of activities but also un-
dergone an impressive trans-
formation over the years. The
Carpet and Art Oasis is one
such event.
This year’s edition pays
tribute to 20 Years of Spin-
ning Art and is spread across
an area of 6,200 square metres
in a fully air-conditioned tent
with a façade that features
iconic attractions of Dubai.
So what is it that has cap-
tured the consistent attention
of visitors? Ahmad Mahboub
Mosabah, Director-General,
Dubai Customs, organisers of
the event, says it is the fact
that it displays exquisite and
rare carpets, handcrafted in
renowned rug-making re-
gions, under one roof. “More
than two and a half million
carpets have been exhibited
thus far. This edition features
58 stands with 42 companies
displaying 220,000 carpets
valued at Dh2 billion. A total
of 300 fine and sumptuous
carpets were weaved exclu-
sively for the Carpet and Art
Oasis 2015.”
The resounding success of
the Carpet and Art Oasis be-
comes evident on speaking to
the exhibitors, a large num-
ber of whom have been par-
ticipants right from its incep-
tion. All of them unanimously
agree that the organisation,
location and marketing of the
event have only gotten better
over the years.
Aside from a purely artistic
or culturally driven passion,
the sustained interest in car-
pets in the region can be at-
tributed to an abundance of
wealth. “At the end of the day,
carpets are luxury products in
the same class as diamonds,”
says Amir Ghanbarinia, the
Iranian owner of a third-gen-
eration Dubai-based family
carpet business.
It is no surprise then that
Ghanbarinia also lays claim to
being the owner of the most
expensive piece at the Car-
pet and Art Oasis, valued at
Dh14.5 million, which is not
for sale. It is a collector’s item
that was commissioned by
Nasseruddin Shah, the 18th
century ruler of Iran. Shah
was inspired to commission
the work after reading the sto-
ry about Kelileh, the lion king,
and Demneh, the vizier jackal.
He called on designers and
weavers from Persia, India and
Armenia to create this carpet.
Place of origin
The majority of carpets dis-
played across the exhibition
are the Iranian ones while the
Pakistani, Afghan and Kash-
miri varieties account for
about 5 per cent each.
However, you needn’t be in-
timidated if you’re not a sea-
soned carpet connoisseur who
knows your Qom from Tabriz,
as salesman Babar Malik of
Red Castle Carpet is on hand
to give the comprehensive
breakdown of characteristics
that distinguish rugs from the
well-known regions of Iran.
Malik says, “Tabriz and Qom
are high-quality carpets and
are named after the Iranian
cities where they are made.
“Qom carpets are always
made of silk and the most
popular designs in this cat-
egory are influenced by hunt-
ing scenes and floral patterns.
“Tabriz carpets come in a
wool-and-silk mix with a cot-
ton base, as well as a silk base.
These are known for bringing
to life everyday scenes of peo-
ple and animals — the clarity
is often better than photos!
“Carpets from Nain are
wool and silk with a cotton
base,” Malik adds.
Best buy
And how does one zero in
on the perfect carpet? Malik
has some useful tips for first-
time buyers. “Firstly, figure
out what size and area you’re
looking to cover,” says Malik.
“If you need it for the dining
area, go for wool. If budget is
not a constraint, opt for a Ta-
briz or Qom. If you have chil-
dren, don’t buy silk carpets
as they get easily stained if
beverages are spilled on them.
Wool, on the other hand, can
be washed at a carpet-clean-
ing service.”
As for how the value of
a carpet is ascertained, it
all comes down to the knot
count. Interestingly, the pro-
duction period for a carpet of
the same specifications differs
from region to region. While a
Qom could take up to a year to
make, a Nain may only require
one and a half to two months
to complete.
Big names
The stall of first-time ex-
hibitor Majid Ghanbari of
Al Khaimah Carpet Trad-
ing in Deira Towers is a trib-
ute to some of the big names
in carpet-making. An hour
with him teaches one about
some of the greats such as
the famous Hussain Kashiza-
deh from Qom, for whom the
Circle of Life theme was a re-
curring source of inspiration.
His pieces are all tributes to
the beauty of nature and are
brought to life with stunning
flora and fauna.
From Ghanbari we also
learn about the beauty of an
Ahmad Shahabpur carpet.
If one were to drop scalding
hot water on a Shahabpur, it
would not, unlike most other
carpets, change colour. This
procedure is used as a litmus
test for high-end carpets.
Seirafian is another illustrious
name in the industry mostly
known for its floral style.
Just when you thought the
Iranian carpets had a mo-
nopoly of the exhibition you
come across Mehreen Carpets,
which displays some strik-
ing pieces from Pakistan, Af-
ghanistan and Kashmir. From
Mahmoud Ahmad, Sales Man-
ager, we learn that Pakistani
double-knot carpets are just
as good as Iranian carpets,
with the benefit of being more
colourful. He also mentions
there are three qualities of Pa-
kistani carpets — Jaldar, Silk
touch Persian design and dou-
ble knot.
The most well-known Af-
ghan carpets are the Kunduz
and Andkhoy. And then, of
course, there is the Khal Mo-
hammadi, which comes from
the Turkmen tribe, and it is
these bright red rugs that put
Afghanistan on the carpet in-
dustry map.
Afzal Hussain, a sales ex-
ecutive at Qum Persian Car-
pets and Novs, sums up the
significance and relevance of
the exhibition’s 20 Years of
Spinning Art theme, when he
says, “Weaving arts reflect the
culture of both the country
the carpets originate from, as
well as the legacy of the family
who created them, and peo-
ple need to learn to appreciate
that more.” n
By Jehan Nizar
Special to GN Focus
The Carpet and Art Oasis is
being held at Dubai Festival
City on Al Rebat Street, its
home since 1996. Since
its inception, the number
of visitors flocking to the
Carpet Oasis has reached
more than one million, with
total sales of more than
Dh1.7 billion.
The Carpet and Art Oasis
will be open for visitors
Saturdays to Thursdays
from 10am to 10pm and
Fridays from 4pm to 11pm
until February 1.
— J.N.
Facts
At a glance
■■ Take your pick from Iranian rugs such as Tabriz or go for the
Afghan Khal Mohammadi or the Pakistani double-knots
■■ If you have children it is best to buy wool carpets as they
can be washed at a cleaning service
Dh1.7b
Value of total sales
since 1996
Business
Pictures: Atiq-ur-Rehman/Gulf News
One for keeps
■■ About 300 carpets have been made exclusively for this year’s Carpet and Art Oasis, which features 58 stands with 42 companies exhibiting products valued at Dh2 billion
Courtesy of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment
O
ver the past 20 years,
the Dubai Shopping
Festival (DSF) has
brought new tourists
to the emirate in what used to
be a traditionally slow month,
and revitalised the retail indus-
try. Its impact on the food and
beverage sector, though, is only
just beginning to be felt.
Management of restaurants
in the city say the annual event
may generate additional rev-
enue of up to 25 per cent this
year, on the back of increased
tourist traffic and DSF-exclu-
sive food promotions.
“DSF helps keep the mo-
mentum of November and
December going,” says Saleh
Al Saleh, Brand Director,
Operation:Falafel at The Beach,
opposite Jumeirah Beach Resi-
dence. He anticipates a revenue
increase of 15-25 per cent over
the last quarter of 2014.
Shailesh Dash, Founder and
CEO, Al Masah Capital, which
owns the Dubai venue of the
London-based La Porte des In-
des restaurant at The Address
Dubai Mall, expects 20 per cent
greater revenue than December
2014. “Over the years, DSF has
been successful in attracting
a growing number of visitors
and managed to increase the
average spending per customer,
which has positively impacted
the majority of the retail outlets
and food service companies,”
he says.
“La Porte des Indes is strate-
gically located to benefit from
DSF as we are located in The
Address Dubai Mall, which
enjoys pedestrian access from
shoppers in the mall and tour-
ists travelling to Dubai for the
event and residing at the hotel.”
More than 4.5 million peo-
ple visited malls or took part
in DSF-linked events in 2013,
the last year for which figures
are available. Laila Suhail, CEO,
Dubai Festivals and Retail Es-
tablishment, which organises
the shopping festival, says that
number rises by about 5-8 per
cent each year.
DSF 2015 has a special focus
on food, she says. For the first
time, the Ripe Food and Craft
Market, where organic food is
sold in a market-style setting,
is on the official DSF calendar.
Restaurants are responding
by putting out special offers.
Frankie’s Italian Bar and Grill
is serving a special olive oil-
based menu from January 18-
24, where a four-course meal is
priced at Dh365.
The family-style Sapori di
Bice, which has outlets at City
Walk and The Beach, has a
range of value-for-money pro-
motions running every day
of the week in January, says
Gianluca Penna, Restaurant
Manager of the brand’s outlet at
The Beach. These include a deal
on wood-baked pizzas, priced
at Dh65 every Sunday, and a
20 per cent discount on vege-
tarian fare on Wednesdays. “We
are already witnessing a steady
flow of clients in January, with
the beautiful weather and our
al fresco dining, and also be-
cause of the DSF,” Penna says.
Beyond that, she says the
event, with its strong focus
on the other Gulf countries as
a tourism source market, has
impacted business in another
way. “With the stream of tour-
ists from the GCC, we tend to
also receive many franchise
requests for opening across the
Gulf,” says Penna.
Now there’s a story for the
dinner table. n
By Keith J. Fernandez
Editor — GN Focus
F
or a look at what tomor-
row’s malls will have in-
store, head to Downtown
Dubai where more than 55 re-
tailers are taking a creative ap-
proach to retail and dining at
an open-air shopping theme
park of sorts, called Market
OTB. It has been described as a
sustainable platform to discov-
er new retail concepts.
The event, in its second edi-
tion, begins today with a per-
formance by the GCC-based
multimedia artist Zahed Sul-
tan, and runs until January 24
at South Ridge Park. There will
be shipping containers repur-
posed to house retail concepts
in the fashion, interiors and art
sectors, while a cubic structure
of recycled bottles will host
panel discussions and talks on
sustainability. Performances,
an outdoor cinema, a custom
skating ramp and host of dining
options complete the offering.
“The success of our first
event last year inspired Market
OTB to extend the platform to
ten days, showcasing brands
not found in conventional re-
tail venues, but accessible to
the public within a programme
of events and experiences for
residents and visitors,” says Su-
haila Ghubash, Director, Festi-
val and Events, Dubai Festivals
and Retail Establishment, the
organisers of DSF.
Market OTB will run from
4pm-10pm on weekdays and
10am-10pm on weekends. En-
try to the event and all its pro-
grammes is free.
— GN Focus Report
What the future has
in store for shoppers
Head to Market OTB
to learn about new,
sustainable retail ideas
DSF boost for city restaurants
n Dining establishments are beginning to feel the festival’s impact on
their business, as increased tourist traffic presents new opportunities
❝DSF helps
keep the
momentum
of November
and December
going.”
Saleh Al Saleh |
Brand Director,
Operation:Falafel
Gulf News Archives/Zarina Fernandes
Eating out is big business
■■ Restaurants across Dubai are optimistic that they will see revenue increases of up to 25 per
cent over the last quarter. Some eateries have also received enquiries about GCC franchises
www.panda.com.sa/dubai At Dubai Festival City Mall, Telephone: 04 232 5997 | Offers valid till January 17th 2015 or till stocks last./HyperPanda.Dubai
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