After 10 years in the high-end carpet retail business, Nisan al-Jazairi has made a name for himself. He's traveled the world dozens of times, looking for the best hand-woven designs for his shop, Nomád.

He is good at what he does. His customers greet him by name. They trust him. He knows what he is talking about when asked to explain the differences between Nomadic wool and silk from China.

But al-Jazairi, a Prague native, wants a new challenge. And he's hoping he'll find it in Iraq — not as a soldier, but rather as a diplomat for change.

The son of an Iraqi father and Czech mother, al-Jazairi says he wants to save Baghdad from cultural ruin. He's planning to close his carpet store, which has been a fixture inside the Lucerna Pasáž for the past decade, by the end of the month and move to the Middle East. He expects that his new project — Master Plan for Historical Parts of Baghdad — will keep him busy for the next two years, maybe longer. It is being supported by the Czech government and an international fund, according to al-Jazairi.

"We are going to create a new legislation and master plan for the city," he says. "It's important to save the cultural heritage for future generations."

But before he can leave, al-Jazairi must first sell the hundreds of carpets still stacked throughout his two-story shop. He's hoping the big "55 percent off" signs in the window will draw in more customers.

"This is a good opportunity to get good stuff at low prices," al-Jazairi says, pausing to take a drag on his self-rolled cigarette.

"The carpet business is a nice business, but it's a hard business — you aren't selling fruit," he adds. "You have to show your personality and taste to your clients."

There is a lot that goes into buying a carpet. If you want a quality product, you must consider the material, the dye, and the design before making a purchase. After all, these rugs aren't cheap, even with al-Jazairi's discount. It's best to know ahead of time exactly what you want.

Here are a few pointers provided by al-Jazairi:

Material: Carpets are usually made of wool; however, you can also find carpets knotted together with silk or kilim. Wool that is fat and dry makes the carpet more durable and last longer. Wool that is shiny and smooth is called "dead wool." Countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey tend to produce most of the top-quality wool carpets on the market today. China and New Zealand, on the other hand, are well-known for their silk rugs, which are thinner and smoother and tend to cost more.

Dye: Vegetable or other natural dyes are recommended. Dyes that are chemically produced fade faster.

Design: Carpets woven by nomadic tribes tend to be very colorful, with big designs such as flowers or geometrical shapes as the focal point. By contrast, modern, city-produced rugs tend to be less splashy, using more traditional, straightforward designs and less flashy color schemes.

Density: The price of a carpet depends in large part on its density. A good rule of thumb for determining density is to take note of how many knots there are per square inch of carpet. The more knots, the stronger the carpet. Density also determines the price of a carpet, which goes up as the density increases. Rugs made by nomads are typically not so tight; however, nomadic rugs are regarded as antique pieces, which makes them pricey despite their low density. Silk rugs from China are some of the most intricate to make. A rug that is 2 feet by 3 feet (0.6 meters by 0.9 meters), for instance, has thousands of knots and in some cases can take up to two years to make.