The Austria Auction Company will hold their next special carpet auction on the 30th April 2016 at the Palais Breuner Vienna. The auction preview will be open to the public 27th April -29th April, and on the day of the auction 30th April 11am-3pm. This antique oriental rugs auction includes 216 lots, and among them tribal bags, Kilims, ancient textile fragments and antique oriental rugs from Persia, Anatolia, Caucasus, Baluchistan, Kurdistan, China and Turkmenistan. www.orientalrugexperts.com

With the lifting of sanction against Iran the next big adventure is the opening up of Iran's tourist industry. Many company's have already put together itinerary's to include some of the wonderful sights that Iran (Persia) has to offer. Persepolis the ancient capitol of the Persian empire and UNESCO world heritage site, will be number one on there list, all so the beautiful city of Isfahan another world heritage site. Masoud Soltanifar, director of Iran's cultural heritage, handicrafts and tourism organisation (ICHHTO), said he hopes to attract 20 million visitors a year by 2025, generating up to $30 billion in revenues. British Airways will resume direct flights to Tehran in July this year, which should encourage the tourism industry to take Iran (Persia) very seriously as a major new destination for the intrepid traveler. If your now thinking of nipping out to Iran to purchase that Persian carpet you've always wanted then think again prices are quite high for the tours and negotiating for that special Persian rug or carpet in the bazaars could prove very costly. Alex Wilkins of David J.Wilkins Oriental Rug Experts thinks that you would be better off purchasing your Persian carpet through a reputable dealer here in the UK, In London we have a huge selection of Persian rugs and carpets and with the added benefit of knowing the dealer and all the protection of UK consumer law. www.orientalrugexperts.com

Last month David J.Wilkins had the great pleasure of hosting Dan Kitwood a photo journalist for Getty Images London, who shot some wonderful photos of the Oriental Rug Centre at Staples Corner London. Getty Images had requested the shoot in response to many requests for photos of Persian rugs and carpets being imported into the UK since the lifting of the US embargo on Iranian products. No doubt you will see these great photos in articles all over the world, but take a peep on our Facebook page or Google + page for a preview. At the Oriental Rug Centre we are importing large amounts of new stock including Persian, Afghan, Indian, Pakistan, and Moroccan rugs and carpets, so why not call us and come and have a look around and remember we are now open on Saturday at the Oriental Rug Centre Staples Corner London. www.orientalrugexperts.com

London's Oriental Rug Centre is expecting its first shipment of Persian rugs and carpets from Iran, since the lifting of the US trade embargo. At David J.Wilkins Oriental Rug Experts, we are looking forward to viewing the new stock which includes Persian Gabbeh and many other assorted Persian rugs and carpets. These Persian rugs will be available for customers to view and purchase from the 1st April. Please call for an appointment Tel: 0207 722 7608, www.orientalrugexperts.com Berlin's Bode Museum is to host an important exhibition, The Madonna of the Wurth collection and masterworks of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. it is devoted to the work of Hans Holbein the younger (ca. 1497-1543), one of the great portrait painters of the Renaissance, whose name has become synonymous with certain early types of classical Anatolian carpets. The exhibition will run until 8th May 2016. Christie's are holding an online auction of rugs, featuring both colourful and monochromatic undyed 20th century weaving from Morocco, Turkey, the Caucasus and Ecuador. With arresting graphic designs, this collection of rugs and carpets exemplifies the range and varying weaving techniques of the Moroccan tribes in the Middle and high Atlas.

A huge new shipment of handmade Moroccan rugs and carpets has just arrived at London's Oriental Rug Centre. Our supplier at David J.Wilkins Oriental Rug Experts has been visiting Morocco several times in past year, travelling deep into the Atlas mountains and working with the Bedouin weavers to produce a far superior product than you would normally find from this area. Call us at www.orientalrugexperts.com to get a preview of this great selection of Moroccan rugs and carpets.

HALI Magazine will return to London's Art & Antique Fair at Olympia on 27th June-3rd July 2016, with a select group of dealers. Also in the news is Skinner's Spring Rug Auction on 13th March 2016 in Boston USA. It features a number of early pieces most of which come from private collections and estates. There are several early Chinese rugs, including a 16th century Ming dynasty carpet fragment estimated between $8,000-$10,000, and a silk pile and metal thread 'Imperial' carpet estimated between $20,000-$25,000. At London's Oriental Rug Centre a large shipment of modern Afghan Ikat rugs has arrived. These rugs look to be a modern contemporary design carpet, but are in fact a variation of the traditional Ikat designs using vegetable dyes and hand spun Ghazni wool. At David J.Wilkins Oriental rug experts we think these modern Ikat rugs and carpets are a great way to achieve that contemporary look with out paying the huge prices for western designed rugs. www.orientalrugexperts.com

The Oriental Rug Centre at Staples Corner London is now fully open on Saturdays, with no need to make an appointment, (although its advised). At David J.Wilkins Oriental rug experts we can show you a huge selection of Oriental rugs from 3ft x 2ft to over 25ft x 16ft. We pride our self's with offering rugs at affordable prices to suit most budgets, from all over the rug weaving world, including Persia (Iran), Afghanistan, Indian, Morrocco and Pakistan. We can arrange for your selected rugs and carpets to been seen in your home before committing to buy. If you would like to visit the Oriental Rug Centre, please call or email David J.Wilkins Oriental Rug Experts Tel: 0207 722 7608, Email: rugexpert@btinternet.com.

London's British Museum with host the Krishna in the Garden of Assam exhibition, from 21st January to 15th August 2016. Here you can discover a little-known chapter of Indian history through the largest surviving example of an Assamese devotional textile, the Vrindavani Vastra. The Vrindavani Vastra (literally 'the cloth of Vrindavan') was produced in Assam in north-eastern India sometime in the late 17th century. It is made of woven silk and figured with scenes from the life of the Hindu god Krishna during the time he lived in the forest of Vrindavan. It was made to be used in the Krishna cult which developed following the ministry of the Assamese saint Shankaradeva (d.1568). At over 9 metres long, this Assamese textile is the largest of its type to survive. It is made up of 12 strips, all now sewn together. The Krishna scenes on the textile are from the 10th century text the Bhagavata Purana, and are elaborated in the dramas of Shankaradeva. A verse from one of these is also woven into the textile, using immensely sophisticated weaving technology, now extinct in India.

The Surface Design Show London, starts today 9th -11th February 2016. This show is a must for designers and architects as well as members of the public looking for inspiration. Some of London's rug dealers will be exhibiting, although in small numbers, At David J.Wilkins Oriental rug experts, new shipments are arriving from all over the rug producing world and business is increasing, particularly with the new Saturday opening at the Staples Corner warehouse. www.orientalrugexperts.com

A fine Persian Kerman carpet from the late 17th century, will be included in Christie's next major London carpet sale on 19th April 2016. One of three Persian Safavid carpets, they have an intriguing provenance with in the British branch of the Rothschild banking dynasty. Estimated at £1,000,000-£1,500,000, they are beyond most of us, but beautiful Persian rugs and carpets can be purchased for just a few hundred pounds for London's importing warehouses, helped by an experienced Oriental rug dealer like David J.Wilkins, who can guide you around the huge stock of Persian and other Oriental rugs and carpets that London has to offer. www.orientalrugexperts.com