Carpet Museum presents celebrity virtual tour

By Laman Ismayilova

The National Carpet Museum has presented a virtual tour throughout its extensive collection, Azernews reports.

Famous TV presenters Dilara Salim, Emil Shahzada, Leyla Guliyeva, Konul Arifgizi, Deniz Tajaddin, Fariz Ilyasov, Tural Asadov, Shabnam Turan, and Honored Artists Nargiz Karimova and Oleg Amirbayov took part in the project timed to the museum's 55th anniversary.

During the virtual tour, well-known media and art representatives take viewers on a virtual tour around the museum space, providing insight into the museum's history, samples of cultural heritage, and interesting traditions associated with them.

The project "Celebrity Virtual Tour" contributes to educational activities in the field of national cultural traditions.

The presentation took place at Nizami Cinema Center and many gathered public and cultural figures.

The script for the project was written by the Carpet Museum director, Honored Cultural Worker Shirin Malikova.

"The project itself was born during the quarantine period when restrictions were introduced in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic. Cultural institutions were also closed to the public. Then, the idea came to implement this project so that everyone could take a virtual museum tour and get acquainted with exhibits. While developing the project, we decided that the virtual tour should not be conducted only by museum staff or carpet art experts, but by well-known figures, beloved by the public. Filmed in 2020, the project's first part was presented virtually on International Museum Day (May 18)," said Malikova.

The Carpet Museum has also launched Celebrity Virtual Tour in Azerbaijani sign language on YouTube in order to make the museum more inclusive and accessible.

The virtual tour was filmed by director Mubariz Nagiyev, who stressed that the project brilliantly demonstrates the origins of Azerbaijani culture.

"Working on the tour was interesting and responsible. With this project, we also wanted to create an opportunity for those who live abroad and would like to visit our museum, to do it at least virtually. Filming took place from 2020 to 2022. The project demonstrates not only carpets and jewelry, national clothes and historical exhibits, but also the origins of Azerbaijani culture and music," said Nagiyev

Further, well-known artists, media representatives, who took part in the filming of the project shared their impressions of the work. The event was followed by "Celebrity Virtual Tour" screening.

The Carpet Museum stores over 14,000 exhibits of the finest Azerbaijani carpets.

The museum regularly holds multiple events, including international symposiums, conferences, and numerous exhibitions.

In 2019, the museum received a national status for its significant contribution to the popularization and promotion of Azerbaijani carpet weaving art.

The National Carpet Museum successfully cooperates with many foreign museums and influential international organizations.

The museum also holds a number of exhibitions and scientific conferences to attract visitors of all ages, without exception, including visitors with disabilities.

The ANCM received a nomination for the 2018 European Museum of the Year Award and earned a certificate for its noteworthy achievements in elevating the quality of the museum experience.

In 2022, National Carpet Museum received a Certificate of Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice for the fifth time. Moreover, the museum has recently received the Humay National Prize which is another indicator of the museum's successful activities.