TODAY.AZ / Society

A colourful tour into carpet

18 March 2015 [13:15] - TODAY.AZ

/By AzerNews/


By Nigar Orujova

The Land of Fire is famous for its ancient traditions, one of which is the art of making carpets. For centuries, young girls started their career as a carpet weaver, and spent years create masterpieces. In the fast developing modern world, this sounds odd, and yet we cannot help but marvel at traditional Azerbaijani carpets.

In Azerbaijan, carpet is a mystic attribute that follows a person from the cradle to the grave, so to speak. It is also a sacred life guide that guards from the cold and heat.

Being one of the world's most famous carpet centers, Azerbaijan have attracted people of all cultures. Today, Azerbaijani carpets can be found in the U.S., France, London, Russia, and many other museums and private collections. However, the world’s biggest carpet museum is located on the Caspian Sea shore.

Nine schools of Azerbaijani carpet weaving - Baku, Guba, Shirvan, Karabakh, Irevan, Ganja, Gazakh, Nakhichevan and Tabriz, present the wide diversity of bright pile and pileless carpets, that show captivating motives.

Here in Baku, tourists have marveled at the architecture of the museum as it was designed in the form of a rolled carpet by Austrian architect, Franz Janz.

The museum highlights all areas of the Azerbaijani carpet making school and features a wide assortment of centuries-old carpets and thread-work samples.

The new building houses 13,300 exhibits and items, including carpets, thread-work samples, metalwork, fabrics, clothing, ceramic, glass, wooden and paper items, jewelry, books, and a unique collection of photographs.

Visitors of the Baku Carpet Museum immerse into the atmosphere of ancient Azerbaijan, accompanied by national music. Here tourists can buy exclusive handmade souvenirs and books about carpet weaving art.

The museum will be also interesting for kids, with fun and entertaining activities as well as developing programs. Here, little guests are taught drawing, weaving and embroidery art. Moreover, kids can learn to draw on glass, and create national costumes for dolls.

At the huge innovative exposition hall, visitors are learning about all the carpet-weaving technologies in Azerbaijan. The astonishing fact is that in ancient times there were no sketches, and all patterns on carpets were created from memory. These skills have been passed down from generation to generation.

The centerpiece of the museum is a 17th century carpet - the Karabakh Draconian carpet.

However, the museum has also a modern wing that exhibits contemporary trends in carpet weaving.

Those who want to learn more about the tradition can also visit the library of the museum.

This museum is a must-see place in Baku. But be careful, after a day spend here, tourists leave the museum with a desire to have an Azerbaijani carpet at home.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/society/139288.html

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