Kurdish Textile Museum, Erbil

I really liked my stroll around the Citadel of Erbil, Iraq. And inside the walled city there is the wonderful Kurdish Textile Museum. I entered it and was at once fascinated by all the colors and the history of the building.

The museum contains exhibits that cover all aspects of daily life, including agricultural tools, clothing, women’s jewellery, household and kitchen products and furnishings, as well as the layout of a traditional house and a nomadic tent.

The museum is actively involved in the transfer of traditional skills to new generations. The destruction of rural villages ended weaving traditions but the museum has employed older women from nomadic communities to train and pass on their skills to younger women.

In addition to weaving rugs, kilims and blankets, they also reproduce decorative screens used in nomadic tents while a felt maker continues the tradition of the manufacture of felt rugs and felt clothing. Whenever you come to Erbil have a look! The small museum is a jewel.