Turkmenistan's leader on Tuesday hailed as "historic" the announcement that its traditional hand-woven carpets have been recognised as global cultural heritage by the United Nations.

Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said it was "evidence of world recognition of our marvellous carpets" and will help promote them abroad.

This month, the centuries-old family tradition was added to the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list.

The National Museum of Carpets contains more than 2000 carpets, many from centuries past and one supersized version woven in 2001 by 40 weavers.

The 14-by-20-foot carpet, which weighs 1.5 tons, has made the country a Guinness record holder, though the title is now held by a carpet woven in Iran.

Because of the density of the carpets - one square meter can consist of up to 400,000 knots, weaving a four square meter carpet could take several months.

Prices for wool carpets are around $ 115 per square meter, while a silk carpet can cost double.

Typically, models reflect nomadic tribal art and incorporate elements from different species of animals.