ACraftIndependent states
Azerbaijani carpet
A weaving art thousands of years old, with the Guba, Shirvan, Baku, Ganja, Gazakh, Karabakh and Tabriz schools. UNESCO heritage since 2010.
In Azerbaijan a carpet is both a household object and a work of art. Pile carpets and flat-woven kilim, palaz, zili, verni and sumakh are made, each region with its own motifs, colours and composition.
Seven main schools are traditionally distinguished: Guba, Shirvan, Baku (Absheron), Ganja, Gazakh, Karabakh and Tabriz. Motifs such as the buta, ram's horn, dragon and pomegranate carry meaning, and the yarn is coloured with plant dyes.
The "Traditional art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving" was inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2010. The Azerbaijan Carpet Museum in Baku was founded in 1967; its new building, shaped like a rolled carpet, opened in 2014.
Sources
Updated: October 1, 2026