Rafe Megerian's Carpet Manufacturing unit, Yerevan

In Yerevan, a visit to a carpet factory was scheduled. We had already seen the amazing Carpet Museum and the Heydar Ali Centre in Baku, so despite a surfeit of carpets in the brain, we arrived at Megerian Carpets in what looked like an industrial area of Yerevan.

Officially called the Megerian Carpet Cultural Complex, at 9 Madoyan Street, visitors can tour the factory..........for 

• Guided Tours: Learn about Armenian rug history, techniques, and see weavers at work.
• Masterclass Try your hand at weaving and learn the Armenian knot.
• Workshops: Participate in traditional Armenian cooking classes.
• Cultural Events: Hosts performances, exhibits, and dinners.
• Shopping: See and purchase beautiful, authentic Armenian carpets
• 

The Megerian family immigrated to the USA at the beginning of the 20th century, where they began buying, selling, cleaning and repairing handmade Armenian rugs. A family business was officially established in 1917 in New York City. In the early days, the Megerians sold only antique or modern Armenian rugs. Over time the family expanded their work, and currently they offer several different collections:

• Armenian collection;
• Tabriz collection - exquisite replicas of antique Persian rugs;
• Sultanabad collection–replicas of traditional Sultanabad designs from the 17^th – 19^th centuries;
• Mamluk collection–replicas of 15th-century Egyptian rugs;
• Oushak – 18^th – 19^thcentury Egyptian rugs;
• Bijou  - recreations of Pakistani rugs.

Other collections include Kazak, Savonnerie, modern and antique rugs. Their main Megerian carpet shop is located in New York. They have major outlets in Brooklyn and in Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany. The Megerian Carpet Factory in Armenia is one of their more unique and fascinating enterprises. establishments.

The location was like a huge shed and there was a small group of men chatting away across it. Seeing us, one of them came over and introduced himself and asked where we were from. This person introduced himself as Rafe Megerian – the owner – who lives mostly in New York. Mr Megerian visits Yerevan frequently to oversee the business with the help of his well trained staff.  He told us about himself and how he built up the factory. 

Interestingly, Megerian’s began in 1917, not in Yerevan, but with carpets from Egypt and India and a few other countries. It was only after the revolution and freedom in Armenia that they opened this place in 2002.

The Megerian family owns over 20 facilities in Armenia which provide jobs to thousands of workers. The family is known for having successfully introduced natural dyeing methods to Armenia, obtaining their natural dyes from the flowers, roots and plants of the Armenian highlands, much as their ancestors did thousands of years ago.

Visitors can also watch the weaving process first hand. In the first step, a designer paints a blueprint of the carpet for the weaver. Before the weaving begins, the base of the rug must be made, usually from wool or silk. (Woollen bases are used in Armenia, while the silk bases are used in their factories in Egypt). After the base is in place, the weaving process starts with Armenian double knots. On one square meter of carpet, 160,000 Armenian double knots are present! Making a large carpet can take several months or even years.

Our guide Roza took us to the Carpet factory’s guide and we were given a tour of the facility – the works – from the wool sorting to all the processes involved in manufacture. We saw them being made and finally to the HUGE warehouse and sales section.

There are 32 ladies working here full time producing these masterpieces. Seeing them weave these carpets based on a pattern hanging in front of them is real awesome. 

The factory museum was opened in 2014 and includes carpets dating back to the 17th century. Our guide showed carpets which are 160, 200 and 400 years old.

Behind every rug in the museum is a unique and interesting story. The story of the 160 year old carpet in unreal - during the country’s political turmoil, an Armenian lady tore her precious rug in two pieces and gave a piece to each of her two daughters and told them that if they became separated from one another, perhaps they could find each other again someday with the help of their matching rug halves.   

The family did get separated and it was 52 years later in New York that the two sisters met each other and the carpet pieces were reunited !! Today this rug hangs on the walls of the factory.​

This is a small square carpet piece which was specially crafted for the Clooneys.  Its wonderful workmanship

When you are in Aladdin’s Cave, known as the Megerian Carpet Factory, its very difficult to resist buying some piece – the sales staff are so well trained that you just cant say ‘No’ to them. So, ensure you have enough time not only to enjoy the walkabout the workshop but also to shop for yourself. 

Text and photographs copyright of the author. No part of this article or photographs maybe transmitted or reproduced by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission. Do contact the author on email -- helpthesun@gmail.com

A Natural History Museum amongst the mud volcanoes of Gobustan, Azerbaijan - a pictorial tour

We had just finished walking around the mud volcanoes of Gobustan and come out of that raised platform circuit onto solid ground when we saw a small white building. On one side there was an entrance to the Gallery featuring paintings in crude oil on canvas and a large exhibition of various types of rocks and stones found in this area. See my blog on the volcanoes.

On the other side was a sign stating “Natural History Museum”. Out here in the wild boondocks of Azerbaijan, basically in a totally deserted area of the country, we came across a museum on Natural History. Strange location for it as one expects such museums in cities; not unpopulated areas.

Entering it was an unreal experience. Crammed into that small space was a beautifully curated exhibition of species – captions, skeletons, photographs, specimens in jars or on boards… incredible sight. So, enjoy it as much as we did and if you go to see the mud volcanoes, do not miss this museum. 

Text and photographs copyright of the author. No part of this article or photographs maybe transmitted or reproduced by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission. Do contact the author on email -- helpthesun@gmail.com

Stalin Museum dedicated to Russia's dictator and psychopath, in Gori, Georgia.

We were on a day tour from Tbilisi to Mtskheta – Uplistsikhe and Gori returning back to Tbilisi. One of the highlights of the day was to see the museum dedicated to the life of Joseph Stalin, the war time leader, Communist dictator of Russia and mass exterminator of his fellow Russians. Stalin was born in Gori and hence the museum is located here. Tbilisi via Mtskheta to Gori is around 250 kms – Gori being North West of Tbilisi. 

Gori is a smallish town and the museum is in the main square. The museum opened around 1957, closed in 1989 after the downfall of the USSR and was subsequently re-opened recently as a tourist attraction.

Typical of Communist countries, the officials give instructions and speak less. So, other than telling us when the next tour would begin, there was no talk from the ticket counter grandma. We decided not to wait and went on our own, and had an incredible insight into what it must have been like in Stalin’s time.

The whole place exudes a glory to Stalin’s image. The main structure was built in 1951 is like a palazzo in Stalinist Gothic style. It was planned a museum of history of socialism but , after Stalin’s death in 1953, it became a memorial to him. 

 

A permanent exhibition about Stalin’s life and activities is presented in six large rooms:

• Materials of the first hall tell about Stalin’ s activities before and during the revolution.
• The second hall embraces the period of 1925-1939 of the Soviet history when the Party led by Stalin fought for the economic and cultural development of the country.
• 
  In the third hall, there are documentary photos of the period of World War II. It’s possible to see here photos taken at Teheran, Yalta, and Potsdam conferences.  One of the interesting photos of Stalin without retouch is exhibited. One of the stands is about Stalin’s private life.
• In the fourth hall, the sixth copy of Stalin’s death mask is placed between marble pillars (Author of the mask –sculptor M. Manizer). And here a canvas “Stalin in His Coffin” by a People’s painter of the USSR Japaridze is exhibited.
• Presents to Stalin are exhibited in the fifth hall of the museum.
• There are Stalin’s personal things and his study where he worked in 1918-1922 in the sixth hall.
• A separate room of the museum is devoted to the period of repressions. It’s existed since 2010.

The aggregate space of the museum complex is 3 529,7 sq.m. In the reserve stocks of the museum about 40 000 article exhibits, documents, canvases, and auxiliary materials are kept now. There is a scientific library in the museum.

 

Stalin’s was born in a small wooden hut – his father was a shoemaker. He lived in one room, the landlord lived in the second of the two ground floor property.

There are some interesting insights – the many times Stalin was caught, jailed, exiled and….escaped !! it shows his ingenuity as escaping from the Siberian jails was not easy. There is the model of Stalin’s country cottage where they had an illegal printing press which was deep down and accessible through a well and steps !! 

After handing over the ticket at the top of the stairs, you enter a vast hall which is actually split in open sections. The exhibits are around the walls and some sre standalone exhibits in the centre of the room. All exhibits have captions in Georgian and many have it in English also. The y start with his family tree and parental background and then proceed to his education and involvement with communist movement. There are photographs, personal family items, newspaper articles, paintings, and other displays from his lifetime.

As the exhibits upstairs are nearing the end, you gently climb down a circular stair case and see Stalin’s death mask. The political leadership of the time made 12 copies of his death mask, shortly after his death, and the one exhibited here is the 6^th copy. 

There are rooms filled with photographs of his involvement in the political movement of his time. Stalin was ruthless and he connived to get all his party colleagues executed on various charges. Not only this, he also felt threatened by his own family and had them killed. A true psychopath.

Joseph Stalin's regime caused the deaths of millions through executions, forced labour Gulag camps, famines (like the Holodomor), and mass deportations, with estimates varying widely from around 3.3 million officially recorded deaths (executions, Gulag, deportations) to much higher figures of 20 million or more when including famine victims, with some historians suggesting totals as high as 40-45 million deaths from terror, famine, and forced labour. 

The exact number is debated, but official archives reveal at least 800,000 executions, 1.5-1.7 million Gulag deaths, and hundreds of thousands more from forced resettlement.

 

 

Stalin’s Railway carriage is armour plated and weighs a humungous 83 tons. It was used by him from 1941 onwards and taken to the famous Yalta Conference and the Tehran Conference. After his death, it was shunted to the railway yards at Rostiv on the Don and only in 1985 was it sent to the museum.

The carriage is kept locked and only groups of visitors can see it – so, until a large enough group has formed, you just have to wait…patience is a key attitude needed in any Communist country. 

 

We spent quite some time in this museum as it revealed many unknown facts about Joseph Stalin. He was a dedicated Communist, married a few times, brilliant strategist as seen in the defence of Stalingrad against the Nazis in WW2, a maniac who killed off his family members and sent millions to the Gulag due to his political insecurities but still a man who united the vast country known as Russia into the USSR. The Man with the Iron Hand.