Feature: THE BIG PICTURE - Azerbaijan: Flying Carpet to a Fairy Tale, One Marylebone Gallery - Nov 15-21
Published: 11 November 2010
FLYING Carpet to a Fairy Tale is the evocative title of a new exhibition at One Marylebone gallery. On Monday Leyla Aliyeva, daughter of the President of Azerbaijan, will launch the week-long display of carpets from Azerbaijan, celebrating the country’s cultural heritage.
The show includes the huge range of antique carpets that are produced in Azerbaijan, with local experts demonstrating how they are made.
The exhibition also marks the beginning of a programme of events about the culture of Azerbaijan culminating in the 20th anniversary of the modern Republic.
Carpet-weaving in Azerbaijan is an ancient art form and one of the oldest-surviving examples dates back to the 3rd century bc.
The carpets express not only the history and culture of the Azerbaijani people, but also embody the ideas and philosophy of their creators.
Ancient Azerbaijani carpets can today be found all around the globe, from the White House in the US to the Metropolitan Museum of New York, the Louvre in Paris, the V&A in London, the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg and in the Vatican.
• Azerbaijan: Flying Carpet to a Fairy Tale is at One Marylebone Gallery, 1 Marylebone Road, NW1,
from November 15-21, 10am-6pm daily. Free