Carpet shop owners around the intersection of Madinah Road and King Abdullah Street told Arab News Thursday that they have incurred hundreds of thousands of riyals of damage. They are still busy pumping out flooded showrooms and warehouses and tallying up the losses with hopes their insurers will honor their damage claims.
“The rains have destroyed a number of hand-crafted items, including hand-woven Persian carpets — the most expensive of all carpets,” said Abdul Rahman Al-Masaadi, who works for a carpet shop on the Madinah Road. He pointed out that many of these shops keep their stock in areas that are below ground level.
“Three shops nearby have closed down, but I expect this to be a temporary measure rather than a permanent one,” he said.
Saad Hajras, an Egyptian who works in a carpet showroom, said this was the first time his shop was damaged in rains.
“We could have kept our carpets in safe places where water would not reach,” he said.
Persian carpets are the most expensive in the market. The price of an Iranian rug can easily reach SR5,000.
