Azerkhalcha OJSC has taken part in the 15th International Oriental Carpets Conference held in Istanbul, Turkiye, Azernews reports.

The main theme of the conference was "Oriental Carpet Studies 2024: The Past and Future of Carpet Weaving and Carpet Collection".

The conference focused on two main areas: "Historical carpets and textiles" and "Contemporary art, design, and new production".

The Scientific Committee received 76 proposals from 4 continents and 20 countries, and selected 26 presentations, with Professor Walter Denny as the keynote speaker.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Azerkhalcha OJSC, Honored Art Worker Emin Mammadov, participated in the conference, which has been organised every four years since 1976 to support the development of carpet weaving worldwide. This conference united the leading countries in the field.

Emin Mammadov spoke at the conference on "Continuous development of cultural heritage in Azerbaijani carpet weaving - based on three examples", discussing the activities of Azerkhalcha OJSC as the leading and largest carpet producer in Azerbaijan.

He also highlighted the company's focus on protecting cultural heritage, adapting to modern times, meeting modern interior design requirements while staying true to ancient roots and traditions.

The collaboration of Azerkhalcha OJSC with young domestic and foreign specialists and the positive results achieved were also mentioned.

One of the main topics of the conference was the first National Carpet Festival of Azerbaijan, organised in Icherisheher on May 4-5, 2024, with the support of various organisations, including the Azerkhalcha OJSC.

At the end of the event, a captivating video from the National Carpet Festival was shown to the audience.

As part of the conference, renowned scientist, Professor Walter Denny conducted the session themed "Conservation and new technological frontiers in carpet research".

The final panel, titled "The Future of Tradition," was led by Reyhan Polat, focused on the innovative system of carpet presentations in museums, the use of artificial intelligence in creating new designs and patterns, and recent practices in natural dyeing and weaving.

Other sessions covered the traditional areas typically addressed at ICOC (International Churches of Christ) conferences, including Anatolian Carpets from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods, Central Asian textiles and felts, archaeological finds, new museum collections, and technical aspects of carpet weaving structures.

Compared to previous conferences, the 15th ICOC conference saw an increase in applications from young professionals in the field and from carpet manufacturing companies.