The world’s largest hand stitched carpet is the carpet of the mosque Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan at Abu Dhabi in UAE. The carpet, in prominent green and cream colors, was made using 38 tonnes of wool and cotton by 1200 weavers in 18 months in three villages in northeastern Iran. The carpet is around 5700 sq meter which is bigger than a football stadium. Whole carpet seems to be a continuous sheet to see it. But in fact it consists of some small parts. Actual no of pieces could not be known as different sources give different information. This parts are stitched together to make the giant carpet.

The mysterious carpet adds great appeal to its architectural value of the grand mosque. Photo has been taken on 30th March 2012 after the Jumma Prayer.

There are 2.2 billion knots in the carpet, which was made with the best wool and cotton from the southern Iranian town of Sirjan and from New Zealand in 25 colors using 20 different natural dyes. The Persian knot is used for finer rugs. In Persian rug the yarn is wrapped around only one warp, and then passed behind the adjacent warp so that it divides the two ends of the yarn. The Persian knot may open on the left or the right, and rugs/carpets woven with this knot are generally more accurate and symmetrical.

The contract was worth $US5.8 million, with $US2.3 million dollars heading to the villages where the carpet was made near the town of Neishabbor in Khorasan province.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is one of the greatest architectures in the Middle East. It is the national mosque of UAE. The photo is taken from the main gate entrance of the mosque by ASM Tareq Amin during his visit to UAE in March 2012.

The most interesting thing regarding this carpet is that it is said to be a handmade one. The handmade carpet industry is a labour intensive one involving millions of artisans/crafts persons. The country with a population backed by skill and inclination towards such craft activity has a strong potential for growth. One of the most prominent differences between hand-made and machine-made carpets is that the former holds a valuable impression. The other main difference between these two types of rugs is the actual manner of construction. Machine-made rugs consist of plastic derived fibers being glued onto a strong plastic base which makes them initially very durable, but over time the adhesive degrades and the fibers detach easily from the base.

It is said that for rooms with modern designs or active areas with high traffic or children, machine-made rugs with contemporary designs are excellent. On the other hand, there is a common misconception that hand-made oriental rugs are delicate and not durable. Their ornate designs and soft feel often deceive many. The unique production and its size matter made it as an extra-ordinary one. At the same time it is appraisable due to its stitching. It is stitched in such a way that its different parts are not visible from the outer surface. It appears like a whole carpet weave at the same time. The weaving began in March 2006 in Baghshan, 22 kilometers from the city of Neyshabour. The weavers are all experienced women between ages of 20 and 60, supervised by 50 men acting as technical experts who traveled to Abu Dhabi to join the pieces at the mosque when the carpet was completed.

Any machine made carpet is defeated to this carpet in case of comparing the size and its artistic design. It is really a great achievement for Iran.

Bangladesh can focus more to produce carpets as the carpet has very potential jute fiber which is very good as carpet backing cloth. Huge man power here in Bangladesh can be used to make such hand stitched fashionable value added carpets for the global market.