The museum opened on 24 October 1994.[1] It has the largest collection of Turkmen carpets of any museum.[2]
It has a rich collection of Turkmen carpets from the medieval through to the 20th century,[3] including over 1000 carpets from the 18th and 19th centuries.[4][5] Aside from its extensive collection of antique carpets, it has many carpet articles, chuvals, khurjuns, torba etc.[6]
On the first floor of the museum are Tekke and Sarik carpets. The museum is noted for its huge Tekke carpets. One Tekke carpet measures 193m² and weighs a tonne and was made by some 40 people in 1941 to make a curtain for the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.[6][7] Another, made in 2001, is even larger, measuring 301m² and 14 by 21.2 metres and was made to commemorate 10 years of Turkmen independence from the Soviet Union.[8] It is recognised by the Guinness World Records as the largest hand-woven carpet in the world.[7] One carpet, made in 1968, is representative of all the tribes in Turkmenistan, fusing together the different styles to display unity. The museum also has carpets dedicated to President Niyazov.[7] Some of the carpets on display are two-sided, often featuring different design on each side.[9]
Institutional authority
The largest hand-woven carpet in the world at the museum
The carpet museum is also recognized by the Turkmen government as the official authority on Turkmen carpets.[10] Although many carpets are bought from the museum shop or factory,[6] charging M15,000 per square meter of carpet, depending on the carpet quality, many are bought in the extensive Tolkuchka Bazaar on the city outskirts. If anybody in Turkmenistan purchases a carpet and wants to export it, experts from the Carpet Museum must inspect it and issue a receipt confirming that the carpet is not of historical value, to allow it to be exported from Turkmenistan.[10] Usually there are restrictions on exporting carpets older than 30 years old and if it is determined that the carpet has historical value, then a receipt for export will not be given.[11][10] This policy restriction on exporting carpets is not only an obligation for tourists but Turkmen citizens also must have their carpets inspected. This has had a profound impact on entrepreneurs in Turkmenistan who find it difficult to develop their businesses internationally.[12]
References
^"Carpet Museum". Ayan Travel Company. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
^Hiro, Dilip (2009). Inside Central Asia: A Political and Cultural History of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Iran. Overlook Duckworth. p. 196.
