Art and Arms: The Artistic Vision of Traditional Azerbaijani Weapons Exhibition is Now Open at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum

Art and Arms: The Artistic Vision of Traditional Azerbaijani Weapons Exhibition is Now Open at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum Art and Arms: The Artistic Vision of Traditional Azerbaijani Weapons Exhibition is Now Open at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum https://innews.media/en/news/id-53975

On October 30, the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum has opened the exhibition Art and Arms: The Artistic Vision of Traditional Azerbaijani Weapons, dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the Victory in the 44-day Patriotic War.

Amina Melikova, Director of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, and the project curators — Prorector of the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts, PhD in Art Studies, Associate Professor Sevil Karimova, and PhD in History Sabuhi Ahmadov delivered speeches at the event. They provided information about the purpose of the exhibition, as well as the steps taken toward preserving, developing, and promoting the historical and artistic values of Azerbaijan’s weapon art.

During the opening ceremony, students of the SABAH Center of the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts presented an artistic, dramatic, and choreographic composition titled “The Weapon of Justice Triumphs over Evil.”

The exhibition features nearly 30 artworks created by 26 painters and sculptors. In this first large-scale project prepared with a comprehensive approach to the theme, the synthesis of academic and postmodernist perspectives, as well as the influence of classical miniature art, can be felt in the presented works.

The exposition also includes rare samples of weapons from the 16th–19th centuries, provided from the private collections of collectors Yusif Bagirzade and Ilgar Hasanelizade. Among these exhibits there are weapons belonging to Prince Abbas Mirza Qajar, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, a Safavid provincial governor, and the Khan of Shaki. Replicas of weapons attributed to Sultan Uzun Hasan and Shah Ismayil Khatai including the Zulfiqar sword and shashka (a kind of Caucasian sabre) made using traditional techniques, were also presented to visitors.

The new Steel Patterns. Weapons Collection of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum catalogue was also presented within the framework of the exhibition. This catalogue, authored by Sabuhi Ahmadov, is the first publication that systematically presents the museum’s weapons collection.

Organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, the exhibition holds particular significance in terms of presenting Azerbaijan’s weaponry heritage, national craftsmanship traditions, and statehood history in an artistic context, as well as promoting national and cultural identity.

The exhibition is on until November 16, 2025.