Carpet Museum, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Location:

Carpet museum

The current address: Atamurad Niyazov Avenue, 158, Ashgabat

Previous address: Gorogly 5, near the Grand Turkmen hotel is not correct

It is 5 min walk from OguzKent hotel across the park to the East. At the first intersection take the underground passage to cross the road and come up at its sourthen side, near the museum. The high building is the Carpet ministry/ Turkmen Haly and the next one is the museum. Here is the picture of the main entrance

The museum is open for visits:

Carpet museum

09:00 - 17:30, Monday - Friday, Lunch break 13:00 - 14:00

Saturday it is open 09:00 - 13:00

Entrance tickets are 21 manats (DTM) per ticket

Photo fee here is the subject for the surprise. Museum charges per one photo, and it is around 12 manats (DTM) per shot

Normally, the museum is closed on Sunday but if there is a group of 10 persons or more, the museum can be open for double price. Prior notice is required

The guides of the museum explain the ethnographic symbols and traditions expressed on the carpets. The life of the nomadic people. Here are some examples of the background left on carpets

Small blue rug with ancient calendar pattern in the center. Bordered by the long chain of year-like symbols showing the flow of time

Boat-like style, blue water and waves interlaced with sand, earth and sun lights

Ancient calendar style in the center field. Encircled by the multicolored year-like symbols with representation of four seasons inside it

Shuttle-like patterns on the traditional red field. Shellfish style sided around it

Traditional red color, jewelry dance style. Protecting symbols of ram horns at the start and end bands of the carpet

Closer look at the previous carpet

View of the side, of the previous carpet. Rhombus-like protecting style. Abstract protection from <all four sides>

Combined style of hexagons and boat-like patterns on the traditional red background. Side bands with rhombus forms showing a cross in its center – as the symbol of sun and sky around it

Closer look at the previous carpet

White and Red boat-like style. Sides are in the form of a shellfish chain. Traditional red color

Closer look at the previous carpet.This style often described as 'swan pattern'. By local beliefs, shown as a symbol of growth and presented in an abstract way

Unusual multicolored carpet. Light blue background, with geometrical and vegetal styles, showing nomadic life and intertribal beliefs

Traditional red color carpet. Popular calendar-like style on the large central field, alternated with rhombus-like protecting forms reflecting the sun in its center

Closer view of the previous carpet

Another abstract way to represent the flow of the time. Main field filled in with the calendar-like patterns, interchanged by multicolored protecting symbols. All are encircled by year-like chain of time

Close look at the previous carpet

Multicolored carpet. Central field shows the stylized fortress/home-like patterns interlaced inside of a tribal organization. Show of the unity and certain order, bordered by stylized shellfish style

Closer view of the previous carpet. Central patterns are interlaced with use of stylized tree. Tree is protecting motif from evil eye and disease

Multicolored pink-blue-white carpet. Main field shows the protection and light of the skies, sun. The scene is located inside of different tribal patterns at the sides

Closer view of the previous carpet. Eight-pointed form – the symbol of sun/universe. Bush-like motif: the symbol of fertility

Green background of the carpet. Boat-like style inside of the main field. Protected by the band of stylized ram horns, around it. Different colors give an unusual look

Close look at the same carpet