Turkmen Carpet Museum, National carpet museum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
The Turkmen Carpet Museum is a large cultural institution in Ashgabat dedicated to preserving and presenting carpet art. The space includes exhibition galleries, production halls, scientific departments, storage areas, and conference rooms that together offer a complete picture of carpet-making practices.
The museum was established in 1994 by presidential decree, marking an important moment in preserving the nation's craft tradition. This founding provided a new institutional framework for carpet art, whose roots stretch back centuries.
The collection shows traditional Turkmen carpet patterns called gyöls, which express different tribal identities through specific motifs and designs. These patterns remain alive in local craft culture today and shape how people understand regional differences.
A visit allows you to see both historical and contemporary carpet weaving art, including production processes shown on site. It helps to plan time to explore all sections and take advantage of guided tours to better understand the craft techniques and their regional differences.
The collection includes both one of the world's smallest handwoven carpets and one of the largest, showing the remarkable range of carpet art. This contrast between extreme sizes shows the breadth of techniques and designs that Turkmen craftspeople have developed.
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