Azerbaijan has urged UNESCO to react to Armenia’s plans to hold an exhibition of carpets from the Shushi Carpet Museum.

The country’s Culture Ministry says the carpets were “illegally taken out of Shushi on November 1.”

The Ministry claims Armenians have not been historically engaged in carpet weaving and describes the exhibition as “a manifestation of misappropriation.”

Carpets made in Artsakh will go on display at the National Museum-Institute of Architecture after Alexander Tamanyan on February 20.  

The carpets are from the private collection of Vardan Astsatryan, founder of the Shushi Carpet Museum and were taken out of the city on November 1, 2020. 

The oldest of the items to be exhibited is 350 years old.

The Shushi Carpet Museum was founded by Vardan Astsatryan in 2011 and opened its doors to public in 2013.