Morocco’s Princess Lalla Hasnaa visits Azerbaijan International Carpet Festival
Princess Lalla Hasnaa, President of the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat, visited, in Baku on Sunday, the International Carpet Festival in Azerbaijan, which celebrates the wealthy cultural heritage of this West Asian country and honors master craftsmen and their ancestral skills.
The International Carpet Festival, held in the historic setting of the ancient city of Icherisheher, celebrates one of the most emblematic arts of Azerbaijani identity: the traditional art of carpet weaving, which was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
Princess Lalla Hasnaa, Guest of Honor at the Festival, was greeted upon arrival, by Emin Mammadov, Chairman of the Board of “Azerkhalcha,” an establishment dedicated to preserving and promoting Azerbaijani carpet-weaving, and Rufat Mahmud, Mayor of the ancient city of Icherisheher, in the presence of Morocco’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mohamed Adil Embarch, and the General Manager of la Maison de l’Artisan, Tarik Sadik.
Princess Lalla Hasnaa toured the pavilions of countries participating in the Festival, namely Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Tatarstan.
She also visited the Azerbaijan Center for Traditional Arts, dedicated to the preservation and development of Azerbaijan’s traditional arts and crafts, through the training of talented and creative young artist-craftsmen in trades such as ceramics, batik design, jewelry, and woodcarving.
She got informed about the various stages in the weaving and processing of Azerbaijani carpets, then followed the weaving of carpets representing the various regions of this West Asian country, distinguished by their great variety, weaving method and composition, the geometric figures used, the colors and ornamentation harmonization, and particular details of each pattern.
Princess Lalla Hasnaa then followed explanations, presented by designer Narjis Asgarova, on the “Zaman” (Time) digital exhibition, aimed at promoting Azerbaijani culture in a modern style, by bringing to life the architecture of the ancient Icherisheher and the rich ornamental motifs of the local carpets.
The digital exhibition, which invites the public to a journey through time, is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the inscription of Icherisheher’s monuments on the UNESCO World Heritage List and the 15th anniversary of the inscription of the traditional art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The Azerbaijan International Carpet Festival, featuring exhibitions, interactive experiences, and educational programs, is a tribute to master craftsmen, the true repositories of precious know-how handed down from generation to generation. It also aims to perpetuate ancestral traditions that occupy a crucial place in Azerbaijan’s cultural and artistic landscape.