Iğdır University in the eponymous eastern province of Turkey has launched a new project focused on the preservation, development and promotion of the city’s carpets and rugs in association with the Turkish Employment Agency (IŞKUR). The university-owned business has sold the locally manufactured textile products to Japan in hopes of promoting Iğdır’s local products and providing opportunities for local carpetmakers.
Iğdır University and IŞKUR, with support from the Iğdır Provincial Special Administration and Public Education Center, hope to promote and export carpets unique to Iğdır, created in a new local workshop on the outskirts of Mount Ağrı (Ararat) in the Karaağaç district. The project encourages local women to learn the art of weaving, providing them with a source of income, before exporting the products to Japan through a private firm.
Iğdır University Vice Dean of the Fine Arts Faculty Cavit Polat explained how the project was designed specifically with Japan in mind. “Japanese society mostly lives in narrow spaces. So, we design and weave our carpets in small sizes for use in small spaces in our workshops. The carpets are mostly 1 or 2 square meters (10-22 square feet), fitted for tight use and adorned elaborately with unique Turkish plant motifs,” he said.
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