Handicrafts by Ahmadovs

Sheki is called the city of crafts people and it’s for certain reasons. For centuries, the arts of kalagai, silk carpet weaving, netting, painting, wood carving, coppersmithing, and pottery have been widespread here. The Ahmadovs family also keeps these traditions alive. They wanted more opportunities to sell their handicrafts and by seizing the opportunity, they joined the project funded by the EU, and implemented by UNDP with ABAD.

Parviz Ahmadov runs this small family business and works with his brother Sahib and friend Vugar. Parviz, a master of wooden souvenirs, completes his handicrafts with the help of his brother Sahib who is an artist and musician, and their friend Vugar provides them with raw materials.

With the project’s support, Parviz opened a bank account and registered as a tax payer, ultimately legalized his small business and signed a contract with ABAD. During the project implementation period, the Ahmadovs is one of the first families who began selling the products. Parviz is one of the active members in the information group co-managed by the project and ABAD, and he continuously shares his design ideas with other artists. “Art develops not by competition, but by sharing,” said Ahmadov, who also had several orders during COVID-19. Equipped with various tools and raw materials by the project, this small family business can be an good example for other small business owners.