The Carpet Expert: Salahuddin Salu

(original article from http://www.starproperty.my)

By Willy Wilson | Aug 10, 2009

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Carpet has a diverse history that can be traced from the Aladdin folklore to the glorious Persian kingdom and all the way back to the era of cave paintings.
Weaving precious materials such as silk and cashmere in a pattern order that often represents a local culture, carpet symbolises a refinement stage of human’s civilization. Over the centuries, the art of making carpet has become a cross-border culture, shared by many countries around the Silk Road region.
Star Property chats with Salahuddin Salu, the sixth generation of the renowned Pakistan-based carpet producer and trader, Salam Carpet.  Founded in 1880 Islamabad, Salam Carpet is a major carpet trading company with showrooms in Dubai, Johannesburg, Singapore and Malaysia.
Two years ago Salahuddin ventured into the Malaysian market. His Bangsar showroom is stocked with beautiful carpets, specimens of exclusive brands from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Iran and Turkey, apart from his own Salam brand. One can also find vintage collectables here. For the lower range items, Salahuddin has a few selection from India and China.

What are the things we need to consider when buying a carpet?
There are three main considerations that determine the quality of a carpet. Firstly, it is the material used. Carpets made of silk and pashmina are of top-notch quality.  However, if you want to go for the average quality carpets, the ones made of wool are good enough.
Secondly, find out how many knots per square inch the carpet has. So far, an Iranian brand, Qum, is the only one that has 800 knots per square inch. More knots means more intricate job and perfect craftsmanship.
Thirdly, consider the colour combination. A carpet should beautify your home, and pleasing to the eyes.  Colouring system ranges from normal chemical process to natural dyeing using leaves and flowers, while the latter offers more durability.

What country produces the best carpet?
It is hard to tell now. I personally still think Afghanistan carpets are the best, where carpet-making is still very much a home-based industry. It is not uncommon in Afghanistan to find a housewife working on a piece of beautiful carpet from home, and people just come to buy her work. And because the carpet is done by one person, there is consistency in the patterns. So you can say every produced piece is considered a masterpiece.
However, in terms of craftsmanship, Qum and Ispahan (name of cities in Iran) are still the best. Probably can only be rivaled by Turkish carpets like Hariky.

What is the price range like for such good quality carpet?
There is no fixed price tag.  For instance, take carpets from Afghanistan.  They are more expensive with age, provided, of course, if they are well-maintained. I have an 85-year-old Afghan carpet, made out of goat hair, that costs RM45,000. Afghan carpets are special because they get better with time; softer, smoother and cosier without looking dreary.  I also have a silk Iranian carpet that costs RM70,000. Having said that, my shop offers a wide variety in terms of price and quality, starting from a few hundreds.

China and India have massively produced carpets for the global market. How does that affect your business as a veteran in carpet-making industry?
Frankly, it doesn’t really affect my business as a carpet producer.  China, for instance, relies on machine to produce the carpets, and because of this the quality of the carpets produced isn’t up to par with ours, and the market knows it.  India, on the other hand, produces better carpets with better materials, but still isn’t of the same quality as compared to Turkey, Iran or Afghanistan.



Share with us some tips on how to maintain carpets.
Make sure that you keep your carpet away from water and fire. There is no such thing as water or fire resistant carpet. Also important is allowing space for humidity. One of my customers told me her carpet became stiff especially on the underside after she placed the carpet on a moist marble floor.  To make matters worse, she folded the carpet!. Now, she says the carpet can’t fall flat on the floor [laugh].