Armenian women revive traditional carpet weaving to preserve cultural heritage

Greta Voskanyan, a 92-year-old weaver in the Tavush Province of Armenia, spent decades mastering the craft of carpet weaving to support her family.

She began learning from her mother at age eight and eventually established the Gorg-Arevasar Cooperative at age 75 to teach the craft to others. Although Voskanyan can no longer weave due to her age, her efforts helped ensure that the skills and intricate patterns of the region continue to be passed down to new generations.

In the city of Ijevan, the Telik Crafts Centre provides a space for local women to develop creative skills through traditional Armenian crafts. This social enterprise supports women, including those who have experienced personal loss, by offering weaving as a form of artistic therapy. Hasmik Margaryan, a weaver at the centre, shares how her own family preserved the craft across generations, even recalling how her grandmother, born in 1906, was a weaver in the village of Shamshadin.

The tradition faces challenges from a history of industrialization and the modern preference for affordable, mass-produced rugs. Margaryan notes that during the late 1980s, Soviet government representatives exchanged handmade rugs for factory-made ones, which contributed to a decline in domestic weaving. Today, contemporary artists like Aleschija Seibt are exploring these textiles in Yerevan, collaborating with weavers like Milena Ordyants to integrate traditional Armenian materials and stories into modern art installations.