By Laman Ismayilova

An exhibition "Thousand Patterns of the Chul" exhibition has opened at Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, Azernews reports.

The exhibition showcases a total of 25 beautiful and richly patterned chul samples from the museum's collection, woven in various regions of Azerbaijan – Baku, Shirvan, Gazakh and Garabagh.

Chul is a decorative cloth that covered and decorated the backs of different beasts of burden (horses, camels, donkeys and oxen).

In Azerbaijan, it was mainly made with pile- and flat-weaving techniques and sometimes with embroidery techniques, such as gulabatin (gold embroidery), takalduz (chain stitch embroidery), julma (bird's eye) and patchwork.

In order to beautify camels and horses for ceremonies and folk festivals, they were covered with chul. In winter, chul was used to protect animals against cold.

A clay figure of a horse with an image of a floral-patterned chul (2nd millennium BCE), found in Maku in South Azerbaijan and a gold bowl with a lion with a chul (1st millennium BCE), discovered in Teppe Hasanlu next to lake Urmia, proves that the chul is an antique item.

Depictions of chuls adorned with rich patterns can also be found in the works of renowned artists of the Tabriz miniature school.

During the Middle Ages, a chul was made of colorful wool and silk, sometimes – gold and silver threads and precious stones for the horses of rulers and court noblemen.

The exhibition "A Thousand Patterns of the Chul" will run until April 1.

Founded in 1967, the National Carpet Museum holds more than 14,000 exhibits of the finest Azerbaijani carpets.

Initiated by eminent carpet artist Latif Karimov, the museum is beautiful inside and out.

The museum's new building is designed in the form of a rolled carpet. Now, the museum hosts multiple events, including international symposiums, conferences, and various exhibitions.

In 2019, the museum received national status for its significant contribution to promoting Azerbaijani carpet weaving art.

In 2020, the Carpet Museum enriched its collection with a beautiful pile of carpets purchased by the Culture Ministry at the Sartirana Textile Show in Italy.

The 19th-century Guba carpet "Ugakh" was donated to the Carpet Museum, while the Garabagh carpet "Chelebi" enriched the collection of the museum's Shusha branch.

For four years, the Carpet Museum won the Travellers' Choice Awards. The award proves once again that the professional activity of the National Carpet Museum is highly appreciated by visitors from all over the world.