Carpet Day in Turkmenistan
Carpet Day is a holiday observed on the last Sunday in May and has been a national holiday in Turkmenistan since the early 1990s. Also known as Turkmen Carpet Day, this holiday celebrates the traditional carpet-making art that has been handmade by nomadic tribes such as the Salor and Ersari for hundreds of years.
Now, this day is a public holiday that allows vendors to show off their wares at carpet stands across the country. It’s also a day for people to visit the Turkmen Carpet Museum to check out one of the over 2,000 carpet exhibits.
The History of Carpet Day in Turkmenistan
As the end of the 20th century approached, carpet making became an important part of the Turkmenistan economy. So important, in fact, that in 1992, Turkmen Carpet Day officially became a national public holiday.
It’s a day for carpet makers to show off their wares at local carpet stands, or for people to check out the largest Turkmen carpet ever made. A carpet that was woven in 2001 has a total area of over 301 square meters and became an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2003.
Interesting Facts About Turkmenistan
Let’s go over a few of the facts that we’ve learned about Turkmenistan as we wrote about Turkmen Carpet Day. We’ve listed the most fascinating facts that we found below.
- Turkmenistan is one of the least visited countries in the world.
- The Darvaza Crater has been burning for over 50 years.
- Turkmenistan has a Guinness World Record for the most number of white marble buildings.
- The national sports of Turkmenistan are wrestling and horse racing.
Observing Carpet Day in Turkmenistan
Anyone wanting to observe this holiday in Turkmenistan can check out the many carpet stands that are erected on this day. Or, as stated earlier, people can visit the Turkmen Carpet Museum in Ashgabat. This museum was established on March 20, 1993, and features thousands of carpet exhibits.