Dr Salim M. Al-Malik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and members of his accompanying delegation, who are on an official visit to Azerbaijan, have visited the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum.

 

Dr Shirin Melikova, Director of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum welcomed guests and introduce them to the Azerbaijani carpet art, which is our national heritage. She spoke in detail about the museum's creation, its activities, a rich collection, pile and flat-woven carpets displayed within the museum's permanent exhibition, as well as carpets products, national costumes, embroidery, samples of artistic metal, and the semantic meaning of ornaments. The director noted that the museum, being a place for storing and displaying carpets, our invaluable national treasure, is also a scientific and cultural institution that studies the national carpet art. Dr Melikova highlighted the inclusive projects of the museum, which is a pioneer of innovative museum activities in our country.

The director mentioned the inclusion of the Traditional Azerbaijani Carpet Weaving Art within the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on November 16, 2010 thanks to the invaluable work of Mehriban Aliyeva, First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. She also emphasized that one of the main objectives of Azerbaijan is the preservation of the national heritage, the enrichment of museum collections, the preservation and transmission of ancient carpet art to future generations.

Along with our tangible and cultural heritage, the guests were also impressed by the new building of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, which meets the most modern requirements, its originality, and the unusual design of the exhibition space.

The Museum presented the Shirvan carpet woven by the Traditional Technologies Department and the book Azerbaijan Carpet Museum to Dr. Salim M. Al-Malik, ICESCO Director-General.