Commonwealth knot with overseas friends

Mr. Eric Catalfamo, Director of the US Department of State's Center for Cultural Heritage, and Mrs. Ann Compton, Center's International Relations Analyst, are currently in Turkmenistan to discuss bilateral cultural cooperation with their Turkmen counterparts.

As part of their visit, they visited the facilities of the AFCP (Ambassador's Fund for the Protection of Cultural Heritage) in Lebap, Mary and Akhal. In Ashgabat, they expressed their desire to visit the National Museum of the Turkmen Carpet.

In the carpet museum they were hospitably met by the guide Maya Atayeva. Maya told the overseas guests about the role that carpet weaving plays in the life of the Turkmen people and introduced them to the main exhibits of the museum - the giant carpet "The Golden Age of Turkmens", which was woven in 2001 and listed in the Guinness Book of Records in 2003, as well as a carpet "Soul of the Turkmen", woven in 1942. The guests were so impressed by the unusual size of the carpets that they took pictures in front of them.

The museum exhibitions, which occupy two floors, contain several hundred carpets, and the guide has information about the uniqueness of each of them. The guests were surprised at the sight of a double-sided carpet, one side of which was made with Akhal gels, the other with Yumud ones. An irresistible impression was made by a carpet with such a density of knots that water does not flow through it, as well as a 3D carpet, for cutting the threads of which 5-6 types of scissors are required. Particular attention was drawn to the carpet "Seytjemalletdin Mosque", which took 116 shades of colors.

Impressed by what she saw, Mrs. Ann Compton expressed her desire to try herself as a carpet weaver. Following Maya Atayeva's instructions, she managed to make a knot on a loom.

- I am an archaeologist by education, - Anne Compton says in an interview, - and first of all, of course, I am impressed by Ancient Merv, the Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar and other archaeological monuments of Turkmenistan. But after getting acquainted with the unique collection of carpets, I was imbued with the question: “What is the significance of carpets for Turkmen history?”

- As director of the Cultural Heritage Center of the US Department of State, I am pleased to see the results of our cooperation at 8 archaeological sites in Turkmenistan, - Mr. Eric Catalfamo continued the conversation. – I am also very impressed by the pride of Turkmens for ancient monuments. Let the knot in the carpet that my colleague Ann Compton just tied up be a symbol of our strong partnership to preserve ancient treasures.

https://turkmenistan.gov.tm/en/post/67392/commonwealth-knot-overseas-friends