Where Are the Rugs Saved from Shushi? Vardan Astsatryan Provides Details

The fate of the collection of rugs extracted from the Shushi Rug Museum during the war remains uncertain. The new address for the display of the collection taken from the Shushi Rug Museum during the 44-day war is still unknown. The founder of the museum, Vardan Astsatryan, mentioned in an interview with Auroranews that the rugs are currently stored at the Alexander Tamanyan Museum-Institute.

Previously, the rugs were displayed in Yerevan at the National Museum-Institute of Architecture named after Alexander Tamanyan. At the end of December 2021, Astsatryan announced that the exhibition needed to be organized. “About a week ago, I was invited by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports; I went to them, and they said that the issue is under their attention. They are also working on this matter, but no results have emerged. This is the situation—I don’t know what will happen. They are aware, everyone is familiar with the problem, but a solution is still not found. I hope something will happen. It’s shameful; we are becoming a laughing stock worldwide. These issues can be resolved quickly if there is a will,” he indicated.

It's worth recalling that social media user Nikolay Torosyan described the situation quite accurately, stating: “I think it would be appropriate to use a few rugs for the cargo compartment of several service vehicles, and 1-2 could be cut up and placed on the front seats to avoid wear, while the rest should be returned to the Azerbaijanis. Only then will we love these rugs that we are currently neglecting. And if they are cut up, we will love them even more. Just like we love the graves of Jugha today, but devastate the medieval khachkar field of Arinj, as we admire Van but pollute Lake Sevan, love Sasun but ruin Tavush, and mourn the situation in Ghazanchetsots but calmly pass by Aram's house.”