Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8
Trend:
The intricacy, precision and complexity of Azerbaijani carpets make it difficult to believe they are the work of human hands, reads an article posted on the official website of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
In particular, the article describes the rich traditions of Azerbaijani carpet weaving, talks about the past and the present of this type of art in Azerbaijan.
"Through centuries of development, the Azerbaijani carpet has incorporated the social, cultural and artistic values of various periods in the history of Azerbaijan, providing the Azerbaijani people with a tangible symbol of their cultural and historical continuity. Azerbaijan is situated along one of the main routes of the Silk Road, at the crossroads of civilizations, cultures, and religions. Sitting between Europe and Asia, the Silk Road played an enormous role in the establishment and development of the Azerbaijani carpet," the authors of the article wrote.
The article underlines that the traditional art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE and is mentioned in the writings of Greek historians Herodotus and Xenophon.
In the 5th century BCE, Herodotus, a contemporary of Thucydides, Socrates, and Euripides – and known today as ‘The Father of History’ – spoke of the advanced skills evident in Azerbaijani rug dyeing, the article reads.
"The 10th century Arab historian Al Mugaddasi wrote ‘their carpets have no equals in the world’. In the 13th century, Marco Polo talked about the unique fabrics produced in Tabriz. He also wrote in his memoirs that numerous fabrics, carpets, and weaving techniques unseen anywhere else in the world were being made and sold in the traditional markets of Azerbaijan."
The article reads that carpets are widely used in the daily life of local people throughout Azerbaijan to this day. Through ABAD (Azerbaijan State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations - Support to Family Business) and its wide range of sales and distribution channels, Azerbaijani weavers will continue to capitalize on their produce not only within Azerbaijani markets, but internationally as well.
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