Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum

The Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum was established in 1967 and is the world’s first museum specializing in the art of carpet weaving, recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Since 2014, this cultural institution has been operating in a new building constructed as a joint project of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 

The unique building, designed in the shape of a rolled carpet and meeting the modern architectural standards, is located in the territory of the Seaside National Park. The author of this remarkable structure, which fascinates both residents and visitors of the city with its unusual design, is the Austrian architect Franz Janz.

More than 10,000 exhibits are preserved in the museum’s collections, which include “Pile Carpets,” “Flat-Woven Carpets,” “Carpet Products,” “Artistic Metal,” “Ceramics, Glass, Wood and Paper,” “Textiles, Clothing and Embroidery,” and “Jewelry.” These collections contain works created from the Bronze Age to the modern period, with the majority dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries.

The museum regularly organizes numerous workshops and long-term educational clubs aimed at the effective organization of children’s leisure time and increasing their interest in national cultural heritage. Through these activities, children and adolescents learn various carpet-weaving techniques, as well as the structure of carpet compositions and the semantics of traditional patterns through engaging and interactive methods. The museum also implements inclusive programs designed for individuals with visual, hearing, and mobility impairments.