Carpet making has a long tradition at Azerbaijan. There are different schools for that and every region has its unique style. To remember that and to built a bridge between the traditional and the new Azerbaijan the new carpet museum (Xalça Muzeyi) has been opened at Bakı in 2014 directly at the shore of the Caspian sea. The architecture of the museum is special as it copies the shape of a rolled-up carpet (or a jelly roll) – a nice idea, but it seems to make presenting the collection of carpets and rugs a bit uneasy.
The museum covers the production process of carpets at Azerbaijan as well as examples from all areas of the country. This also includes a collection of carpets from Şuşa that was brought to Bakı before Nagorno-Karabakh was taken by the Armenians in 1992. The oldest exhibit is the Lampa carpet woven in 1930 and it is presented behind glass and not illuminated permanently to protect it. The Xalça Muzeyi is a political project and not a very inspiring museum if you’re not into carpets for a special reason – but at least the architecture and the history make it worth a visit.
Xalça Muzeyi
Carpet museum
Bakı
Azerbaijan
Loading map...
