Iran's handmade rugs are being unwoven from the global tapestry due to international sanctions and domestic pressures. — Photos: AFP
Once a symbol of cultural prestige, Iran's handwoven rugs are no longer selling as fast as they once did, as sanctions weigh on an already troubled economy and buyers' tastes change.
Commanding more than US$2bil (RM8.43bil) in export revenues in its heyday of the early 1990s, the industry now struggles to scrape together around US$40mil (RM16.86mil), marking a dramatic collapse of more than 95%.
