Turkmen Carpet Museum
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Türkmen haly muzeýi | |
 | |
| Established | 24 October 1994 |
|---|---|
| Location | Ashgabat, Turkmenistan |
| Coordinates | 37°55′26″N 58°22′40″E / 37.923999°N 58.377880°E |
| Type | national museum |
The Turkmen Carpet Museum or the National Carpet Museum is a national museum, situated on 5 Görogly Street, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
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 Teke and Saryk carpets. The museum is noted for its huge Teke 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 Nyýazow.[7] Some of the carpets on display are two-sided, often featuring different design on each side.[9]
