National carpets to be showcased in Dushanbe

By Azernews

By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade

Bright, colored and unique Azerbaijani carpets are well-known all over the world for their quality and high artistic value.

The exhibition of Azerbaijani carpets will be held within September and October months of this year at the National Museum of Tajikistan.

The initiators of the exhibition “Carpets of Azerbaijan” are the National Museum of Tajikistan and the Azerbaijani Embassy in Dushanbe.

Today, carpet weaving is successfully developing in many regions of Azerbaijan. In total, there are over 20 large and medium-sized carpet weaving enterprises in Azerbaijan.

There are biggest carpet making schools in Azerbaijan like Garabagh, Gazakh, Tabriz, Shirvan, Baku and Guba. Most of the Azerbaijani carpets are made of silk or wool of lamb and sheep.

Due to the high aesthetic value, they are used to decorate the walls and floors of marquees, huts, homes, nomads' tents, and other buildings. The unique patterns and overall rich colors provide great opportunities for the development of this industry.

Antique Azerbaijani rugs are the honorary "residents" at the White House, State Department, and every important museums in the world including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Louvre, Victoria and Albert Museum, Vatican, and the Hermitage.

The Azerbaijan Carpet Museum was created in 1967. From 1967 to 1993, the museum was called the Azerbaijan State Museum of Carpet and Folk Applied Arts, from 1993 to 2014 - State Museum of Carpet and Applied Arts named after Latif Karimov, from 2014 to the present time the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum. 

The first exposition was presented on April 26, 1972 in the building of the Juma Mosque, an architectural monument of the 19th century, located in the Icherisheher – Old City.

The museum has become a research-training and cultural-educational center where many events, such as exhibitions, international symposiums, and conferences, are held. During its 50 years of existence, the museum has organized more than 30 exhibitions in different countries throughout the world. 

In 2004, a law on the Preservation and Development of Azerbaijan Carpet was enacted with the museum’s participation. The law aimed to implement the registration of Azerbaijan carpets, protect and support their development, and coordinate scientific and methodical training.

In 2010, the Azerbaijan Carpet Weaving Art was included in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.