Deputy of Iran's National Carpet Center Mojtaba Feizollahi made the announcement, adding that the country exports its carpets to more than 50 countries including Germany, Italy and Japan.
He noted that Iran exported more than $560 million worth of Persian hand-woven carpets in the previous Iranian calendar year.
Feizollahi made the remarks on the sidelines of a one-day seminar on Iranian hand-woven carpets held in South Africa's capital, Johannesburg, on Monday.
Iran is the leading exporter of hand-woven carpets. Persian rugs are highly sought out for their intricate design and skilled craftsmanship, and that's why Iran exports carpets to more than 100 countries in the world.
Carpet-weaving is undoubtedly one of the most distinguished manifestations of the Persian culture and art, and dates back to ancient Persia.
There is an estimated population of 1.2 million weavers in Iran producing carpets for domestic markets and international export.
The country produces about five million square meters of carpets annually of which 80 percent are sold in international markets.
The United States, Europe (specially Germany and Italy), China, Brazil, South and Central Africa, along with neighboring countries are the most important markets for Iranian made Persian Carpets.
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Iran exported $560mln worth of hand-woven carpets in the last Iranian year (March 21, 2011 to March 19, 2012), an Iranian official announced.
News ID 182506
