AZERBAIJANI SCHOOL of CARPET DESIGNBack to Main

Prayer Rugs

Several of the Azerbaijani carpet schools produce prayer rugs, which are used by Muslims in daily prayers and on special religious occasions. Prayer rugs are typically much smaller than other rugs and sometimes include literal references to Muslim prayer ritual. One such rug is the namazlyk, which features hand designs. During the namaz ceremony,worshipers bow low and touch the ground with seven different body parts.

Prayer rugs are used by Muslims in daily prayers and on special religious occasions. Several of the Azerbaijani carpet schools produce prayer rugs.

Prayer Rugs

Prayer Rugs

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AZERBAIJANI CARPETS AND MORE

A local Baku merchant advertises magical flying carpets, as well as the more mundane variety.Textiles, in particular the complex pile carpets known to collectors, play a critical role in Azerbaijani culture as sources of pride, income, and style. Textile scholars must grapple with several complex issues. Challenges include finding materials in remote or war-torn areas, attributing them despite shifting nomenclature and boundaries, and classifying a native art form in lands occupied by others over history.

Carpet weaving remains among Azerbaijanis’ most cherished cultural traditions, kept alive despite centuries of foreign invasions and upheavals. Azerbaijani carpet designers and weavers for centuries have produced many of the world’s “Oriental carpets.”

Employing a vast portfolio of mostly geometric designs, weavers created some of the masterpieces of tapestry that today adorn the collections in the leading museums around the world. Today Azerbaijani carpets are honored on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Stay tuned to this exhibition for updates based on the latest scholarly findings . . .