A real Persian rug, one from Iran, of the same size would range from $15,000 to more than $20,000. Antique rugs, those more than 75 years old, are even more challenging to judge and buy.

Gut check: Rug dealers know you can’t buy a rug without seeing it in your home, and they will happily load it in your car. Put it down, see if it works and, most important, make sure you love it.

The call came in to the rug store at 10:30 Wednesday morning: After five days in U.S. customs, the shop¿s first batch of carpets imported from Iran were ready for pick-up.

Like many of the thousands of visitors who packed into a Persian carpet exhibition in Tehran, Mohammad could not afford to buy the exquisite rugs — he simply wanted to touch the fine, hand-woven ...