BAGHDAD, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- As winter has come in Iraq, the carpet markets in Baghdad thrive as people are seeking carpets to furnish their floor to bring warmth to their homes when temperatures will drop more in the coming days.
The sellers of carpets in Baghdad markets exhibit different kinds of carpets which are either locally made or imported.
Hundreds of all sizes of carpets were ornamented with circles, squares, and stylized animals or flowers.
The symbols woven in many of Iraqi carpets can be traced back to the Babylonians who ruled the ancient Mesopotamia, Iraq now, some 2,000 years B.C..
However, the majority of new models being purchased in Baghdad markets are carpets mass-produced in neighboring Turkey and Iran as well as Egypt, China and Belgium.
Abu Aliaa, an owner of carpet store in Baghdad's commercial center of Shorja, said that "the majority of people demand Turkish carpets for the good quality and affordable prices."
"Second choice for people is the Iranian carpets which have better quality than others but it's more expensive than the Turkish carpets, especially silk and wool-made ones," Abu Aliaa told Xinhua while sitting in his store in Shorja market.
Mohammed Khalaf, a carpet seller, said "most carpets in my store are Turkish-made; I have all sizes and various colors, and ornaments."
"Some people purchased Turkish carpets for its light weight and it is easy to clean, and some housewives prefer to buy couple smaller carpets instead of a large one because it is easier to clean and to get better decoration in their rooms," Khalaf said.
Anmar, who came to buy carpets from Baghdad commercial center in Shorja, said "I am here to buy an Iranian handmade, whether silk or wool, carpet to decorate my guest room, because I like their style of inscription as well as its better quality."
"As for the rest of the house I'd choose the Turkish carpets for cheaper prices and easier for my wife to move and clean because they are not heavy," Anmar said.
Like Anmar, Um Ali, in her 40s, said "I can't imagine my living room, where my family and close friends usually sip tea and chat, without a long rectangular carpets adorned with geometric patterns."
"The beauty of the carpets is essential to judge my room by the guest," she told Xinhua, while running her fingers across the carpets hanging on walls of one of Shorja's shops.
Sayd Hassan, a carpet merchant in Shorja, told Xinhua that he usually imports carpets from Iran and Turkey according to the market demand.
"Some of the carpets are expensive for the raw materials used in weaving them, as some manufacturers are using most modern technology in the world to produce carpets. They even sometimes produce carpets according to the clients' request as for size and ornament," Hassan said.
The sellers of carpets in Iraqi markets exhibit large quantities of various types of local and foreign carpets as most buyers are seeking low prices and good quality, while the rich people prefer handmade carpets which characterize better quality and higher prices. Enditem
