A carpet woven by a man in 1875 was presented at the 7th National Carpet Fair, an event that takes place in the courtyard of the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History. The carpet was brought to the fair by Minister of Culture Sergiu Prodan.
The rug was woven by a man called Sirghi Ciolan. This, says Prodan, breaks the stereotype that carpet weaving was a craft exclusively for women.
The minister bought the carpet on a certain occasion, restored it and now donates it to the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History.
“This carpet survived two world wars and saw so many hands, so many fates to tell us how much it has gone through during these 150 years. Because the Moldovan rug is, in fact, our violin. It is the wealth in which our people found themselves”, said the minister.
Petru Vicol, the Museum’s director, said he will try to find more about the carpet’s creator Sirghi Ciolan.
The traditional techniques of rug weaving in Romania and the Republic of Moldova have been included in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.
