Oct 24, 2004, 7:33 PM

Stolen carpet discovered in Tehran’s Laleh Park

TEHRAN, Oct. 24 (MNA) -- A carpet recently stolen from the Carpet Museum of Iran was discovered by the police near the museum in Tehran’s Laleh Park in mid-October and was returned to the museum.

The carpet was hidden in one of the handicraft stalls set up in the park, said the director of the Security Department of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO).

 

Rahmatollah Ra’uf added that the robbery was reported immediately to Interpol and the local police. The thieves have not been arrested yet but we hope they will be apprehended as soon as possible, he said.

 

“Buildings converted into museums were selected for their cultural and historical structure and background, but they are not located in proper and safe places.

 

“The budget allocated last year to outfit the buildings was insufficient. Moreover, installing electronic security systems requires a great amount of money,” he noted.

 

The early twentieth century carpet was stolen about a month ago while being transferred to the museum’s storeroom.

 

Iranian cultural officials believed that the carpet had not been taken out of the country due to the difficulty the thieves would have had in selling the rare carpet.

 

The carpet was woven by Master Hossein Kermani in Ravar, Kerman Province in the year 1928 and is one of the museum’s rarest carpets.

 

RM/HG

End

 

MNA

News ID 8619

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