Azerbaijani Kelaghayi enters UNESCO’s list
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijani national woman headscarf, Kelaghayi, has been included into the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Azerbaijan’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO posted in its official Twitter page.
The ninth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritageis examining 41 nominations for the list with 950 participants in Paris on November 24-28.
“Azerbaijani Kelaghayi is now in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” the delegation tweeted.
Azerbaijan’s traditional art and symbolism of Kelaghayi was proposed to be added into the UNESCO list by Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and the country’s Culture and Tourism Ministry.
The joint activity of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation headed by Mehriban Aliyeva and the Ministry resulted in conformation of Kelaghayi art as one of the most important example of the culture, customs and traditions, national and spiritual values of the Azerbaijani people.
Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Sevda Mammadaliyeva expressed gratitude to the members of the committee and emphasized that the inclusion of Kelaghayi art in the UNESCO list will help the development of this art in the country.
Kelaghayi is Azerbaijani women's national headscarf made from fine and soft silk in a four-cornered shape. It is an integral part of women's national costume in Azerbaijan.
Kelaghayis differ from each other in terms of their color tints and sizes and social status. Unmarried girls cover their heads with kelaghayis of bright colors, such as yellow, pink, gold or purple, while dark colored kelaghayis are for older women.
There are special regions of the country famous for kelaghayis production including Ganja, Shamakhi, Sheki, and Nakhchivan, and Basqal settlement of the Ismayilli region. Currently, there are special dynasties that continue the tradition of kelaghayi making.
The trend of wearing traditional scarves has already reached modern Azerbaijan.
Intangible cultural heritage list consists of living cultural traditions, including oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts.
At present, the Representative List includes 281 elements. Besides Kelaghayi, the list also includes performance art of Mugham, Azerbaijani ashug art, performance on national music instrument tar, Novruz holiday, the Azerbaijani carpet.