Tourism & Hospitality | Wednesday 7 January, 2015 1:37 am |

Under the patronage of H.E. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of DP World and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs, inaugurated (Tuesday January 6, 2015), the 20th edition of the Carpet & Art Oasis, in the presence of H.E. Laila Mohammed Suhail, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and a host of diplomatic and consular representatives alongside Dubai Shopping Festival officials.
Themed “20 Years of Spinning Art”, this year’s Oasis is being held at Dubai Festival City, and will run till 1st of February 2015, as a main attraction of the milestone 20th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival.
H.E. Sultan bin Sulayem said: “Dubai Customs keenly organizes the Carpet & Art Oasis every year, as one of DSF’s core activities. The exhibition enjoys the full and unlimited support of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which forms an incentive for the Carpet Oasis’ Organizing Committee to pay utmost attention to the quality and variety of exhibits.
Bin Sulayem underlined that the Carpet & Art Oasis helps stimulate more trade and tourism to Dubai. Displaying exquisite and rare carpets, handcrafted in renowned rug making regions, the Oasis has become a widely anticipated fair for carpet traders and people interested in these wonderful handcrafts.
“Under the theme “20 Years of Spinning Art”, we celebrate twenty years of the Carpet & Art Oasis,” he added.
H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs, said: “Over the past years, the Oasis met with resounding success, with the number of visitors flocking to the Oasis reaching over one million, and total sales value of more than Dh1.7 billion. More than two and a half million carpets have been exhibited thus far. This edition of the Oasis features 58 stands with 42 companies displaying 220,000 carpets valued at Dh 2 billion. A total of 300 exquisite carpets were weaved to be displayed exclusively and for the first time at the Carpet & Art Oasis 2015.”
Ahmed Mahboob further noted that this year’s Oasis is being held over an area of 6,200 square metres, and a 120-meter long and 12-meter tall panoramic façade was added to mark the 20th anniversary of the Oasis. The façade features new and old attractions of Dubai; namely Burj Khalifa, Dubai Metro, Burj Al Arab, Emirates Towers, Atlantis The Palm, and Dubai Golf Club among others.
H. E. Laila Mohammed Suhail, CEO of DFRE, said: “The Carpet and Art Oasis has remained a pillar of Dubai Shopping Festival since its inception. Carpet and Art Oasis makes an important contribution to Dubai’s retail sector with a large number of merchants striving to be a part of this fascinating event every year. While attracting many specialists from this field from around the world, the Carpet and Art Oasis is also popular among DSF visitors, who look forward to it as a place where they can see and buy unique high quality handmade carpets, which is very much in line with our commitment to offer events and experiences that enrich the experience of DSF visitors throughout the 32 days of the festival”.
The Carpet Oasis’ Organizing Committee has completed Naseej Al Walaa, or “Loyalty Weave”, Portrait, an initiative launched by Dubai Customs to create a handmade wall-hanging portrait of Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The initiative was held under the patronage of H.H. Shaikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.”
The exquisite piece of art, Naseej Al Walaa Portrait features numerous stitches and rich colours. It has over one million knots and over 120 natural colours spread over an area of nearly 2 square meters. Made of 50% pure silk and 50% natural wool, the weaving was accomplished within three years with the help of 2000 people. During the Carpet & Art Oasis 2015, the portrait and a book titled “Naseej Al Walaa” will be handed over to H.H. Shaikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum.
On the sidelines of the Oasis, Dubai Customs is holding a “Thank You, National Shields” exhibition, in line with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s directives to dedicate the celebrations of his Accession Day to the UAE Armed Forces. The exhibition includes a log to register entries of gratitude and appreciation from DC employees and visitors of the Carpet & Art Oasis to UAE Armed Forces. The log will be later sent to the brave Armed Forces personnel, as a token of love and appreciation.
The inauguration of the 20th edition of Carpet & Art Oasis saw the display of “Al Mahmal Al Shami” (a ceremonial palanquin carried on a camel which was the centrepiece of the pilgrim caravan to Mecca). The Mahmal, decorated by its accessories, has the stamp of Sultan Abdul Hamid Khan and dates back to 1311 Hijri.
Abdul Rahman Issa, Chairman of the Carpet and Art Oasis Committee, pointed out that this year’s Carpet Oasis is hosting for the first time a gallery for handmade carpets, featuring some 44 of the famous rare fine rugs in the world.
The Carpet Oasis is open for visitors Saturdays to Thursdays from 10am to 10pm and on Fridays from 4pm to 11pm.