Carpet weaving is one of the ancient arts of the Turkmen people that have won worldwide fame. From ancient times the hand-made carpets woven by Turkmen carpet-makers are renowned all over the world. Turkmen carpets are the priceless heritage and pride of the Turkmen nation, its worthy contribution to the treasury of world culture. The contest aimed at preserving and maintaining the age-old national tradition is announced by the Turkmenhaly State JSC to mark Turkmen Carpet Day which is celebrated in Turkmenistan each year on last Sunday of May and timed to the ceremony of putting the Turkmenhaly administrative building and the Carpet Museum into operation. The specialists of the carpet-making enterprises who participate in the contest have started making the hand-made articles.
Millennia ago Turkmen women invented the unique method to embody their love to the Motherland, cherished desires and wishes in the beautiful carpets that have no analogues in the world. Today the active state support allows renovating this unique art. The large-scale work to study and maintain the age-old Turkmen traditions of carpet-making, reproduce the ancient carpet patterns and restore the unique specimens of ancient carpets is carried on in the country.
According to Turkmenhaly JSC, the goal of the contest is to encourage creative search, popularize the national art and reveal talented carpet-makers – the successors of the national traditions and art-designers, whose innovative ideas will promote developing the national carpet-making and fill it with a new content. At the end of April the enterprises are to present their articles meeting the criteria to the jury. The carpets with the area of at least 2.5 square meters are to be made from pure wool. The quality of the carpets including the density and height of the pile, beauty of patterns and ornaments should be equal to the ancient analogues.
The carpets made in different genres will be presented in several nominations. The best works will be exhibited at the Turkmen Carpet Museum and will decorate the interior design of the Turkmenhaly building. The winners will receive the valuable prizes.