In the presence of the delegation from Latvia’s Parliament, a special carpet made in the museum's master workshop was ceremoniously cut from the loom at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum in Baku. The work is a replica of a unique carpet that decorated the study of Latvian writer Jānis Akuraters during the inter-war period.
A photograph taken in the 1930s shows the writer's family in a room where the floor is adorned with a carpet typical of the Karabakh region. As the original carpet has not survived to the present day, it was decided to recreate it. The carpet will be brought to Latvia to add to the collection of the Jānis Akuraters Museum.
The wonderful story behind the making of this carpet is a great testimony to our friendship and close cultural cooperation, which is now more than 100 years old. The story strengthens and enriches our relationship. A single photograph was the first spark for a creative collaboration resulting in this beautiful work. It is a real pleasure that a piece of Azerbaijan will now go to Latvia, said Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima, at the ceremonial event.
The people of Latvia and Azerbaijan have enjoyed close cultural ties for more than a century. The South Caucasus and Azerbaijan have been a source of inspiration for many Latvians. Our writers' literary works also contain descriptions of important events in Azerbaijan's history and the formation of the nation's identity a hundred years ago.
The Latvian MPs also visited the Teas Press Publishing House, which has released an Azerbaijani language edition of the novel “The Dance of Death” by Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš. Written while the author sought refuge in the Caucasus, the work is set in Baku.
The Saeima delegation also visited the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan, where they attended the opening of the exhibition "Jūlijs Straume 150: Ornaments across Cultures", dedicated to the works of the Latvian textile artist. Master of 20th-century Latvian applied arts, Jūlijs Straume spent 16 years in the countries of the Caucasus region, including Azerbaijan.
Today, Jūlijs Straume's works are an important part of Latvia's cultural heritage in Azerbaijan. His later creative work in Latvia also reflects the influence of the cultures of the South Caucasus countries and Azerbaijan.
Speaker Mieriņa visits Azerbaijan at the invitation of Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan (Milli Majlis). On her visit, the Speaker of the Saeima is accompanied by Raimonds Bergmanis, Chair of the Saeima Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee, Oļegs Burovs, Chair of the Public Administration and Local Government Committee, and Ainars Latkovskis, Chair of the National Security Committee.
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Saeima Press Service