For a start I would like to offer you a little advise: you’ll save a lot of time and money if you do a little homework – do a good research if you buy a carpet in Dubai ( or in the Middle Eeast generally).

In the early 1900s, rug makers started using fast-acting chemicals and machines to streamline the arduous processes of carding, washing, dying, and spinning wool into thread, leaving only the actual weaving to be done by hand.

One hundred years later, traditional cultures have been decimated, and the market flooded with bad rugs destined to depreciate in value.

A rug’s quality depends entirely on how the wool was processed. It doesn’t matter if the rug was hand-knotted if the wool is lousy. The best comes from sheep at high altitudes, which produce impenetrably thick, long-staple fleece, heavy with lanolin. No acids should ever be applied; otherwise the lanolin washes away. Lanolin yields naturally stain-resistant, lustrous fiber that doesn’t shed. The dye should be vegetal-based pigment. This guarantees  saturated, rich color tones with a depth and vibrancy unattainable with chemicals.

The dyed wool is hand-spun into thread, which by nature has occasional lumps and challenges the craftsmanship of the weavers, forcing them to compensate for the lumps by occasionally changing the shape, size, or position of a knot.

These subtle variations in a finished carpet’s pattern – visible only upon close inspection – give the carpet its character, and actually make the rug more valuable.

Dealers will hype knot-density, weave-quality and country of origin, but really, they don’t matter. The crucial thing to find out is how the wool was treated. A rug made with acid-treated wool will never look as good as it did the day you bought it. Conversely, a properly made rug will grow more lustrous in color over time and will last centuries.

Here’s a quick test. Stand atop the rug with rubber-soled shoes, and do the twist. Grind the fibers underfoot. If they shed, it’s lousy wool. You can also spill water onto the rug. See how fast it absorbs. Ideally it should puddle for an instant, indicating a high presence of lanolin. Best of all, red wine will not stain lanolin-rich wool.

If you’re looking for a gorgeous pattern that will look great in your living room, pack a few fabric swatches from your sofa and draperies, and go for it. Patterns range from simple four-color tribal designs in wool to wildly ornate, lustrous multicolored silk carpets that shimmer under the light. Look through books before you leave home to get a sense of what you like. Once in the stores, plan to linger long with dealers, slowly sipping tea while they unfurl dozens of carpets. The process is great fun. Just don’t get too enthusiastic or the dealer won’t as readily bargain!!!!!!

If you’re serious about becoming a collector, hold off. Read Emmett Eiland’s book; Google ‘DOBAG’, a Turkish-rugmaking cultural-survival project; and check out www.yayla.com for other reliable background info. Follow links to nonprofit organizations (such as DOBAG) that not only help reconstruct rug-making cultures decimated by modernization, but also help to educate, house and feed the people of these cultures, giving them a voice in an age of industrial domination. And you’ll get a fantastic carpet to boot.

HAPPY SHOPPING!