Daniel del Castillo González
Jewish people, Muslims, and Christians, together at the Vatican Museums. It’s not a roundtable discussion. It’s three enormous rugs from Azerbaijan depicting the three Abrahamic religions.
AMINA MELIKOVA
Director of the National Carpet Museum
Azerbaijan
I come from a childhood where my school was located in the Jewish district and we were celebrating all Jewish holidays even though I come from a Muslim family, I'm Muslim, and we were lighting up candles in Christian churches.
The tapestry aims to convey the coexistence of religious communities. It’s a project that has taken eight years to come to life through just the weaving of threads.
These are contemporary pieces designed by the Azerbaijani artist Mikayilzada and hand-woven by women in that country.
Each rug measures about six square meters, features more than 650 colors and shades, and is made up of thousands of wool and silk knots.
AMINA MELIKOVA
Director of the National Carpet Museum
Azerbaijan
This is a new era in carpet weaving in Azerbaijan. so the first time we have all three heavenly religions on carpet you can see first Judaism. You can see 49 scenes of Torah, then Christianity, reflecting many stages of Jesus Christ, beginning from his birth, and also there are words from Bible, and also Islamic religion dedication where we can see Kaaba. and the Prophet's, Muhammad's,
The rug dedicated to Judaism features 49 scenes from the Torah, ranging from the Creation to the stories of Moses, David, and Solomon.
The Christian rug depicts 43 episodes from the New Testament, and the Islamic rug depicts various moments in the life of Muhammad, as well as the five pillars of Islam.
BARBARA JATTA
Director of the Vatican Museums
A message of interfaith dialogue, the museum must be an open house, a place that builds bridges, and these three carpets from Azerbaijan—which represent the three Abrahamic religions—embody this. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
The carpets were presented by Azerbaijan’s First Vice President, Mehriban Aliyeva, to Pope Leo XIV in October 2025.
Three traditions, eight years of work, and a meeting place at the Vatican.
