Carpet Khatai , Karabakh , Azerbaijan , XVII century . Collection of the Azerbaijani National Carpet Museum , donated to the museum by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in 2018 . © Photo : Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum
Carpet . Karabakh , Azerbaijan , the first quarter of the XVIII century . Collection of the Azerbaijani National Carpet Museum , donated to the museum by Azerbaijani patron of art in 2020 . © Photo : Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum
as a gift to my grandfather , a prominent scientist , academician Firuz Alievich Melikov . The carpet sports his name and the date . I and my children grew up on this carpet .
Carpets are my passion . I am constantly looking for unique items for our museum . A valuable carpet , which I can see in a collection or at an auction , keeps me awake until I get it bought or donated to our museum . Many fine examples of Azerbaijani carpets have settled in private collections abroad at different times . I dream of returning them to their homeland , to the carpet house , to our magnificent museum , so that everyone can enjoy their beauty , and researchers can do scientific analysis .
►What is the best carpet museum in the world for you ? - I have visited many textile museums all over the world , and I can say a kind word about each of them . But , probably , I will not surprise you if I answer that the best carpet museum for me is ours , my own museum , which I head . For me , it is more than just an institution which I give a part of my life . For me , it is a cause which I put my whole soul in .
►You are called the most successful director of the carpet museum , how do you feel about this and how did you manage to achieve this result ? What is the secret of your success ? - Such an assessment is very pleasant . There is no secret . I have always been doing what I love , only what gives me pleasure , what I live by . Therefore , it turns out to be included in the process 24 / 7 and receive a lot of positive emotions with such a schedule , pleasure from implementing plans , from communicating with wonderful , creative people .
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