Famous the world over, the elaborately woven Persian rugs and carpets, "gilims"and "jajims" ....
There are literally thousands of dealers in the country but in which city should you buy?
A lovely French-Moroccan family were our guests in Khoonegeli last year. I organized a round Iran trip for them with an English speaking guide and then finally they came to Khoonegeli for a trek. We went to Lemira to spend a night.
They went to buy a Persian rug from a shop in Isfahan and the guy asked for 6000usd, they thought it was a little overpriced so they started the usual haggling and the guy came down to 4000usd. Not convinced they took a picture and sent it to an Iranian friend in Dubai who was a carpet dealer. He valued it at 2000usd max!! And haggling further they ended up buying it for 2300usd! A whopping 3700usd cheaper!!
So where to buy? Yazd and Shiraz are two good places but perhaps just as good or maybe even better would be the bazaar of Qom or Tehran, they are far less touristy and you have a much larger choice. The down side is the time you would need to allocate to filter through thousands of extremely attractive carpets. If time is on your side try one of these two towns, you may end up getting a real bargain.
Or you may write to me for further advice!
This question is on the minds of many, and the answer varies depending on who you ask. So, I thought I’d share some thoughts to help provide clarity. The influence of news and social media on our perceptions is undeniable. We’re bombarded with information online, much of it driven by various agendas. As an old Persian saying goes, "No cat catches a mouse for the sake of God," meaning everyone has their reasons for what they say or do. But what does it mean to be "safe"? If you’re concerned about personal safety from theft, robbery, or assault by ordinary Iranians, know that these incidents are extremely rare. There are far more dangerous places around the world where people travel in droves. If your concern is the possibility of war breaking out while you’re in Iran, consider this: Iran endured an eight-year war with Iraq, and since then, only occasional skirmishes along the borders have been reported. The likelihood of an all-...