Azerbaijani carpet-weaver awarded at int'l festival - PHOTO

Young Azeri carpet weaver Parvin Kazimov`s composition honored with Diploma and Certificate in international Festival held in Muscat, Oman. A hand-woven carpet by Azeri artist Parvin Kazimov, showcasing over 200 colours and 700 eastern and Islamic traditional elements was attracted visitors at the Muscat Festival.

The artists brought his masterpiece all the way from Azerbaijan, his home, to take part in the Muscat International Festival for Arts and Craft organised by the Muscat Municipality and the International Research Centre for Islamic History and Culture (IRCICA) of Istanbul.

Kazimov says the carpet, which he refers to as ‘Nur’, is unique and the only one in the world to display such a wide array of natural colours. And for this reason, he felt very proud to display his special carpet to art lovers and visitors.

Although he began the initial sketch of the carpet in 1996, it was 10 years later in 2006 that he finally completed weaving the hand-made carpet. According to him, the carpet is 1.25 metres wide and 1.78 metres long (10.76 square feet) with 1,600 loops. It is made of fresh wool and is woven with quality threads of Iranian and Italian production.
“Natural dyes from walnut shell, onion skin, oak tree, the root of the madder, saffron, oxeye daisy, yellow flowers, quince sticks, pomegranate skin and different kinds of flower petals were used for creating designs,” Kazimov said.

The carpet, which captivates visitors with its mystic quality and radiance justifying its name, speaks volumes about the attention given by the artist on the minutest of details and the care with which it was made into form.

The carpet even inspired director Mehriban Alakbarzada to make a short film for the Unesco on its making. In 1992, he established a workshop “Parvin Carpet” where Azerbaijan artistic carpets are woven. The aim of the workshop was to provide jobs to Azerbaijanis who were displaced or forced to leave their hometowns due to the Qarabag war.

Kazimov noted that today Azerbaijani women weave carpets from fresh wool and silk, and artificially painted threads imported mostly from Italy, Iran, Russia and Turkey. These carpets were used for decorating homes and offices in countries like Russia, Turkey, USA, Japan and Georgia.




/AzerTAc/