Armenian Orphan Rug

Its most recent public display was in November 2014 at the White House Visitors' Center as part of the exhibition "Thank you to the United States: Three Gifts to Presidents in Gratitude for American Generosity Abroad".

This is a reference to the "Golden Rule" campaign: each year, on the first Sunday in December, people in the United States were asked to eat only a one-course meal and contribute the money saved to the Near East Relief.

[6] Coolidge remarked in a letter to the vice-president of Near East Relief, "The rug has a place of honor in the White House where it will be a daily symbol of goodwill on earth".

[10] But on September 12, Taylor cancelled the event, citing the White House's decision to decline the requested loan of the rug as the reason.

[10][13] The Armenian Orphan Rug was displayed at the White House Visitor Center in November 2014 as part of the temporary exhibition "Thank you to the United States: Three Gifts to Presidents in Gratitude for American Generosity Abroad".

This, their expression of gratitude for what we’ve been able to do for this country for their aid, is accepted by me as a token of their goodwill to the people of the United States who have assisted in the work of the Near East Relief.

I believe that past attempts to keep this rug behind closed doors were fueled by the Turkish government’s desire to prevent any further dialogue about the Armenian genocide.

It is my hope that the rug’s exhibition will facilitate academic discourse and allow the American people to reflect on our positive role during a dark period of history.Congressman Adam Schiff:[16] The Ghazir Rug is not just a carpet; it is a tangible connection to the first genocide of the Twentieth Century – a silent, beautiful rebuttal to those who deny the murder of 1.5 million men, woman and children in a campaign of mass murder, forced marches, rape and looting that befell the Armenian people from 1915-23.

As the world prepares to commemorate the centennial of the genocide, the Ghazir Rug brings to life the shattered families and the mass inhumanity that was visited upon the Armenian people.

And I hope that it can serve to educate a new generation of Americans about one of the great tragedies of history and leads to a redoubling of efforts in 2015 to finally and forever, honor the genocide of the Armenians without equivocation.

This story reinforces why Congress must pass a resolution to recognize the Armenian genocide.Washington Post arts and architecture critic Philip Kennicott:[17] It's a big rug.