Carpet Museum launches project for people with visual disabilities

T"Touching History and Tradition" is an international project designed for people with visual disabilities.

This is the first-of-its-kind project in Azerbaijan. The event will be held from February 1 till March 1.

Throughout February 2019, the Ministry of Culture, the Carpet Museum, and Azersun Holding group of companies within the support of ASAN Radio, ASAN School, and the British Council will organize a joint Azerbaijani-Turkish exhibition Touching History and Tradition.

It is based on a traveling exhibition of the Turkish public organization GEA Arama Kurtarma Ekoloji ve İnsani Yardim, which has already had great success in Turkey and other countries.

The exposition consists of 15 replicas of the world museums’ great exhibits (sculptures, small busts of ancient Greek philosophers and legendary heroes).

For its part, the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum complemented the project exposition with exhibits specially made by museum weavers of the Traditional Technologies Department. These are miniature samples of pile carpets, as well as all varieties of flat-woven carpets, such as palas, kilim, shadda, zili, etc.

The individuals with visual disabilities will have an opportunity to vividly assess with the tactile method the difference in the interweaving typical to each carpet type. In addition, all exhibits are accompanied by special audio recordings and written materials in Azerbaijani and English Braille.

Master classes on weaving flatwoven and pile carpets, as well as macramé for individuals with visual disabilities will be also held as part of the event,

This event is intended to be a pilot project in Azerbaijan. A similar method for displaying exhibits will be widely implemented in the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum’s exhibition activities within the next few months.

The Azerbaijan Carpet Museum was created in 1967. From 1967 to 1993, the museum was called the Azerbaijan State Museum of Carpet and Folk Applied Arts, from 1993 to 2014 - State Museum of Carpet and Applied Arts named after Latif Karimov, from 2014 to the present time the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum.

The first exposition was presented on April 26, 1972 in the building of the Juma Mosque, an architectural monument of the 19th century, located in the Icherisheher – Old City.

The museum has become a research-training and cultural-educational center where many events, such as exhibitions, international symposiums, and conferences, are held. During its 50 years of existence, the museum has organized more than 30 exhibitions in different countries throughout the world.

In 2004, a law on the Preservation and Development of Azerbaijan Carpet was enacted with the museum’s participation. The law aimed to implement the registration of Azerbaijan carpets, protect and support their development, and coordinate scientific and methodical training.

In 2010, the Azerbaijan Carpet Weaving Art was included in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.