Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum initiated this year’s landmark event for the whole carpet world!

The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, famous for its world-known and richest carpet collection in collaboration with the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum hosted the opening ceremony of the exhibition Azerbaijani Carpets from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts Collection. This exhibition coincides with the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum’s 53rd anniversary and the 10th anniversary of the inclusion of the Traditional Art of Azerbaijani Carpet Weaving within the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

For two years, the experts of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum have been investigating the scientific attribution of Azerbaijani carpets presented in the collection of the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts as the Caucasian or Iranian carpets. As a result of their work governed by facts, experts corrected these carpets’ attributions adding the name of our country as a place of their origin. Afterward, they collected them in a catalog and organized this exhibition.

Twelve rare never-presented-before 17th–19th-century Azerbaijani carpets will be on display for three months. Khatai (Dragon) and Chelebi carpets representing a unique branch of Azerbaijani carpet weaving, Goja carpet reflecting the beauty of Karabakh in its perfect artistic ornaments, and Daghkasaman carpet decorated with tamgas, symbols of ancient Turkic tribes are among them.

Dr. Shirin Melikova, Director of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, Seracettin Shahin, Director of the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, and Mumin Yildiztash, Deputy Director of the Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate delivered speeches during the opening ceremony. They highlighted the importance of this project in the development of cultural interaction between the two countries.

Following the opening ceremony, the organizers presented to the audience a newly published catalog Azerbaijani Carpets from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts Collection. This catalog in Turkish and English is available in museums and libraries of both countries.

Notably, this project, first collaboration between the museums of Azerbaijan and Turkey puts into effect the State Program for the Protection and Development of Carpet Art in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2018-2022.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, and the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan are the project organizers.