Created in partnership with the National Carpet Museum in Baku, La Maison de l’Artisan and Morocco’s National Foundation of Museums, this cultural event, designed using an innovative approach combining physical exhibits and immersive technologies, offers an interactive experience dedicated to upgrading and transferring artisanal know-how, while enshrining Rabat’s positioning as a cultural and creative capital.
It recounts the origins of the Rabat carpet, its meticulous crafting techniques and the central role played by women artisans in the transmission of this authentic art. Photographs, scientific texts and infographics enrich this exploration.
Upon her arrival at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa was received by Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva.
Her Royal Highness was also greeted by Azerbaijani Minister of Culture Adil Karimli, Morocco’s Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, ambassador of His Majesty the King to Baku Mohamed Adil Embarch, Secretary-General of the Foundation for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage of Rabat Nouzha Alaoui, General Manager of La Maison de l’Artisan, Tarik Sadik, as well as Museum Director Amina Melikova.
On this occasion, Melikova delivered a speech in which she said she was honored to receive HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa at the National Carpet Museum during the inauguration of this exceptional exhibition, honoring the highly symbolic significance of carpet artistery and its shared cultural scope between Morocco and Azerbaijan.
Melikova also underlined the importance of this great initiative enabling the discovery of numerous shared convergent areas of both countries’ carpet traditions.
The ceremony featured the display of an animated movie titled “The Magic Tale of Pari Khanum,” which showcases the carpet’s prominent positioning in Azerbaijan’s culture. It also saw the performance of a musical sequence named “Weaving with Love” by Mugham singer Zabita Aliyeva, with lyrics written by Azerbaijani People’s artist and master carpet designer Eldar Mikayizade, and music composed by Azerbaijani People’s artist Faig Sujaddinov.
HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa, accompanied by Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva, was also briefed on the work of the Foundation for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage of Rabat, and the city’s role as a crossroads of cultures.
Her Royal Highness also followed explanations detailing Rabat carpet’s history, its origins and evolution over centuries, as well as various crafting phases, from the choice of materials to the finished piece (wool preparation: selection, washing, carding and spinning, natural dyeing: traditional techniques and pigments).
HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa then visited an exhibition dedicated to Azerbaijani carpet weavers, which focuses on the history of the Azerbaijani carpet, its weaving tools, the role of women in safeguarding this ancestral know-how, and its evolution over time.
On the same occasion, Her Royal Highness followed presentations on the painting “Carpet Weavers” by Khalida Safarova, a People’s artist of Azerbaijan; the “Muse” doll by artist Elmira Abbasli, a distinguished cultural worker, and a short animated film dedicated to the “Muse” doll.
Subsequently, Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, accompanied by Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva, followed explanations on five new carpets developed as part of the project “Revival of the art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving: originality and innovation,” before proceeding to cutting, according to Azerbaijani tradition, the new woven carpet “Naqshi Jahan,” crafted at the Traditional Technologies Department of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, a step symbolizing the birth of a new carpet.
HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa then visited the permanent exhibition of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, before signing the Golden Book of this prestigious museum institution.
Driven by the enlightened vision of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, the digital exhibition “The Art of Rabat Carpet” also expresses a strong ambition: to rethink ways of transferring intangible heritage through technological innovation, cultural mediation and sustainable development dynamics.