Pakistan
Pakistan is located in South Asia. Pakistan is bordered by Afghanistan on the north and northwest, China on the northeast, India on the east and southeast, Arabian Sea on the south, and Iran on the west. Pakistan covers an area of 796,095 sq km (307,374 sq mi) and it has a population of 135 million (1998 estimate). Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan. Pakistan gained its independence from the British Empire in 1947.

As with India, the art of rug weaving in Pakistan began during the reign of Akbar Shah in the sixteenth century. During that period Persian master weavers were brought to Lahore, and from then on rug making developed rapidly. At the present, two basic types of rugs are produced in Pakistan: the Pakistani and the Mori. The Pakistani mostly copy Persian styles of especially Kerman and Tabriz. The Mori copy the styles of Turkoman Bokhara, which are characterized by repetitive guls.

At the present time, Pakistan produces handmade rugs mainly for exportation. It is the fourth largest exporter of rugs in the world. Market sizing data from the exporting countries is difficult to obtain, as some of the countries may not track the data or disclose it. Nevertheless, from foreign embassies, industry specialists, and magazine articles, the 1998 rug export estimate for Pakistan is 250 million dollars.

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