Azerbaijan shows cultural heritage at international conference in Czech Republic PHOTO

An example of decorative and applied art, which is unique in Azerbaijani culture and is reviving today - gurama (patchwork) was presented outside of Azerbaijan in Prague, the Czech Republic as part of the 16th General Conference of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) which kicked off on August 22 and will last till August 28, 2022.

Gurama links Azerbaijani culture with world culture, having ancient roots, according to Caliber.Az.

Multi-colored patches become a universal language. It is possible to feel the warmth of human hands.

Azerbaijan’s national and cultural heritage has not been forgotten thanks to the attention and care of the Administration of the Icherisheher State Historical and Architectural Reserve.

Many spheres of folk arts and crafts, in which Azerbaijani history is rich, are reviving thanks to widespread support.

A brilliant example is the First National Gurama Festival which is being held from July through August 2022 not only in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku but also in other towns and settlements.

This art is demonstrated at a high level at various international events and conferences organised far beyond the borders of our country.

Director of the Icherisheher Museum Centre, Doctor of Philosophy in Art History, Honoured Worker of Culture Amina Melikova representing Azerbaijan at the 26th General Conference made a report "Gurama - Azerbaijani Folk Applied Art" at the session entitled "Ritual Power of Clothing".

During an oral demonstration and presentation of the art of gurama, she emphasised that it is one of the important parts of the intangible cultural heritage at the international level and cited various examples.

In her report, Melikova described the peculiarities of the patchwork technique. She spoke about the Gurama Centre, established in the Gala State Historical and Ethnographic Reserve in 2020. She spoke about the wide resonance of the National Gurama Festival held for the first time.

In her report, Melikova spoke about the projects being implemented and designed to revive the art of gurama for the unique art of our ancestors not to disappear, to popularise it in the world and modernise the heritage, samples of which can still be found in the chests of our grandmothers.