Juan David Latorre
The Real Fábrica de Tapices, the Embassy of Azerbaijan and Azerkhalcha inaugurated last Tuesday the exhibition Magic Carpets, a thematic exhibition on Azerbaijani carpets, which aims to unite the cultures of the West and the East. The exhibition is supported by AZPROMO, the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Agency.
The event is part of the celebration of events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the National Leader of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, and is based on the respective agreement between Azerbaijan and Spain, which includes bilateral cooperation in the fields of culture, education and science.
The General Director of the Real Fábrica de Tapices, Alejandro Klecker, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Azerkhalcha, Emin Mammadov, signed a collaboration agreement that aims to implement the necessary actions to strengthen the mutual exchange of information and experience in the development of carpet art between Azerbaijan and Spain.
In his inaugural speech, Ramiz Hasanov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan, highlighted the millenary history of the art of carpet weaving in Azerbaijan and the professional continuity of the master carpet weavers who transmitted their mastery to the younger generations. He also stressed that the Azerbaijani leadership attaches great importance to the development of this art, and in particular, to the work done by Azerkhalcha in promoting Azerbaijani carpets. The ambassador also stressed the importance of the agreement signed between Azerkhalcha and the Real Fábrica de Tapices for the development of their future joint activity.
The chairman of the Azerkhalcha board of directors, Emin Mammadov, stressed that the aim of this entity is to “preserve the tradition of carpet weaving and further develop it”. He also stressed that ‘Azerbaijan’s applied arts, in particular carpet weaving, have a special place in the history of the nation’s national culture’.
The exhibition brings together some twenty carpets from the schools of Garabakh, Baku, Gazakh, Shaki, Nakhchivan and Shirvan, highlighting the centuries-old tradition and history of the carpet industry in Azerbaijan as part of its folk art. Its relevance has been such that the traditional art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. In this way, the Magic Carpets exhibition serves as a link between the cultures of the West and the East. The opening of the exhibition featured an exhibition in which an Azerbaijani artist gave a live demonstration of the Azerbaijani carpet weaving process.
The doors of the exhibition will be open to lovers of European carpets until 19 January 2024 in the main gallery of the Royal Tapestry Factory. Visitors to the exhibition will also receive information about the art and schools of carpet weaving in Azerbaijan.
