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Sultan bin Sulayem, DP World Group Chairman & CEO and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) opened the 25th edition of Carpet Oasis at Marina Port Rashid.
Themed “25 Years of Excellence”, the 25th edition of the exhibition is organized by Dubai Customs and runs from 5th January to 16th February. The exhibition, which runs in conjunction with the Dubai Shopping Festival, was inaugurated in the presence of Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs; Major Geneneral Expert Rashid Thani ALMatrooshi, Director General of Dubai Civil Defence; Major Geneneral Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai; Chancellor Essam Eissa Al Humaidan, the Dubai Attorney General; Mohammed Abdul Aziz Al Mannai, CEO-P&O Marinas & Executive Director, Mina Rashid, alongside a number consuls of participating countries, and traders and owners of carpet companies taking part in the Carpet Oasis.
The Carpet Oasis is expected to draw thousands of tourists, especially for rug lovers who flock every year to the exhibition. It is a manifestation of the emirate’s diverse economy and attractive and strong touristic offering.
Mina Rashid Marina has been selected to be the venue of this grand exhibition with the aim of promoting this new cruise and tourism attraction in Dubai, which means it will also target cruise tourists to promote the hand-made rug industry.
Over its 25 years of age the Carpet Oasis exhibition saw a number of remarkable achievements. In 1990, 40 exhibitors from different parts of the world participated in the exhibition, and in 1998, more than 90,000 unique carpets and rugs were exhibited. In 2004, the tallest artwork (100m) in the Gulf region was exhibited. In 2008, the exhibition sold carpets for Dh27m, and in 2009, the most expensive carpet, which dated back to 1847, was sold for a record Dh5m. In 2016, 250,000 carpets and rugs, worth Dh2.5b, were exhibited.
Sultan bin Sulayem commented: “There is more than one thing that makes this exhibition different than any other, which is the uniqueness of the carpets coming from different famous countries along the silk road. The Carpet Oasis exhibition is an annual event that promotes Dubai as a world tourist and business hub in line with the eight principles of governance launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai and in fulfilment of the 50-Year Charter development plan. Organizing these events reflects the efforts of PCFC in encouraging and facilitating legitimate trade and supporting the national efforts in hosting the EXPO 2020.”
On his part, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs said: “The Carpet Oasis has made noticeable success for 25 consecutive years since its launch for the first time in 1996. The exhibition, a key event of the Dubai Shopping Festival, is among a few exhibitions in the world to focus on handcrafted silk and wool carpets. The exhibition will help towards more economic diversity in the emirate following the directives and wise vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.”
Director General of Dubai Customs said the carpet trade sector in the Middle East, Africa and Asia is growing, and more companies are now involved in manufacturing hand-made carpets and rugs.
Farida Fadhil, head of Carpet Oasis organizing committee said:
“A large number of renowned exhibitors take part in this year’s edition of the Carpet Oasis. We chose the Mina Rashid Marina to be the venue of the exhibition, which, on its own, is a tourist attraction, and for that we are expecting heavy footfall this year from rug lovers and cruise tourists. Big space is also another advantage which will enable visitors to shop freely with convenience and choose from thousands of different exquisite and delicate rugs and carpets. Not only this, visitors can learn more about the carpet industry thanks to the book corner and the carpeting platform available in place.”
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