Exhibition opened at the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum

At the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, an exhibition of Dargin Kaitag embroidery from private collection of Dagestan scientist-researcher Raisa Ismayilova was opened. The exhibition consists both of ancient (17 th ‒ 19 th centuries) and modern works made in this technique. The exhibition is organized by the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan National Committee of ICOM.

Azada Huseynova, the Head of the Museum Sector of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism mentioned that this is the next stage of the Cultural Wealth of Azerbaijan project launched last year and developed by the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO and Azerbaijan Carpet Museum.

Shirin Melikova, the Director of the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum noticed that the holding of this event precisely in this museum is not accidental. The storage of carpet weaving works – one of the most ancient and highly developed types of Azerbaijani folk art – can and ought to serve as a platform for the revival of ancient crafts.

Presenting the exhibition consisting of her own collection, Raisa Ismayilova said that in addition to the kaitag embroidery, here was exhibited also usishin embroidery – type of Dagestan embroidery which is less researched than kaitag, because of its paucity. Such a small number of surviving copies is associated with the specific use of objects with this embroidery. At first they served their hostess as a wedding veil, and then as a burial shroud. Thus, usishin embroidery, being simple enough in execution, has long become a rarity.

Yalchin Salimov, Deputy Director of Scientific Restoration and Conservation and Traditional Weaving Technologies of the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, reported that the exhibition’s project included conducting seminars and master classes on kaitag and usishin embroidery. “The purpose of such events is to revive old art, give it a second birth,” he said. Seminars and master classes will be held until September 21 in the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum under the direction of Raisa Ismayilova. As informed the Director of the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum Shirin Melikova, 28 people have registered on these master classes.

At the exhibition are presented several dozen works. These are also the traditional kaitag panels, which were used as the amulets for babies and brides, usishin blankets with embroidery and works of modern Dagestan authors. Modern authors make compositions on various materials using the hand-dyed silk threads, based on the sketches of Raisa Ismayilova, or on their own paintings. Their works represent a creative reworking of the traditions of this type of embroidery.