Azerbaijani Carpets of the Georgian National Museum

OVER the centuries, the history and culture of Georgia and Azerbaijan have entwined and overlapped with each other, to the enrichment and development of both. It is cause of great pleasure that a new page is being a written in the long history of the friendship of these two nations; The Simon Janashia National Museum of Georgia has published a new and comprehensive catalogue of its large collection of Azerbaijani carpets, entitled Azerbaijani carpets of the Georgian National Museum'. Museums present a world filled with beauty and soul, a world through which the echoes of the past live and breathe. The time has come for the work and craft of the people, created over centuries, to be seen and recognised; for doing so grants us a great insight into the patterns of society, illuminating the lives and history of those who created these beautiful artefacts. It is for this reason that we have published this catalogue; we hope that it will bring the ancient art of Azerbaijani rug weaving to the attention of wider society. The new catalogue describes the carpets collected by the Museum of the Caucasus, established in 1865 in Tbilisi, which are now held in the the Simon Janashia National Museum of Georgia The Azerbaijani carpets and rugs stored in the Georgian National Museum represent a collection of artistic masterpieces of international signifcance. This is the indigenous and original heritage in which the society and advanced aesthetic culture of the Azerbaijani people are refected. It is noteworthy that these unique exhibits have never been catalogued in such a format, and with such a high quality of presentation; it can be said that, with this catalogue, this is the first time many of these exhibits will have been presented to both the general public and academics interested in the culture of textile art.