Welcome to RTA
Her Majesty Gyalyum (Queen Mother) Sangay Choden Wangchuck
Weaving is an integral component of the culture and tradition of Bhutan. With the aim to preserve and promote this living art, the Royal Textile Academy of Bhutan was instituted in May 2005 under the patronage of Her Majesty Gyalyum (Queen Mother) Sangay Choden Wangchuck as a non-government, non-profit organization.
The RTA was registered as a Civil Society Organization in line with the Civil Society Organization’s Act of Bhutan – 2007 on June 13, 2011 (Registration no. CSOA/PBO-12).
September 8, 2026
6 August 2026: His Majesty The King, Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen, and Members of The Royal Family visited the Royal Textile Academy in Thimphu today to view the special exhibition dedicated to this year’s celebration […]
June 4, 2026
2 June 2026: His Royal Highness Gyalsey Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck graced the consecration of a newly commissioned Guru Tshengye Thongdrol and the opening of a special exhibition at the Royal Textile Academy (RTA) today, as […]
December 4, 2025
October 1, 2025: For the past two days, RTA had a series of programs in celebration of the commencement of our fourth and final phase of construction, “The Elephant.” As part of the celebration, under […]
Our Programs
The Weaving School
The Weaving School trains students in traditional weaving, the art of yarn dyeing, contemporary skills related to design and color combinations, and also basics on business and book-keeping skills. As of June 2016, eleven batches comprising of more than 200 trainees have completed their training from the school.
The Textile Museum
The RTA operates a state of art museum to display its collection of artifacts to further the understanding of Bhutan’s rich textile traditions and way of life. The Museum consist of two galleries: The upper gallery which has a permanent display of the various types of textile weaves in the country and the lower gallery that showcases temporary exhibitions on special themes. These temporary exhibitions usually run for nine months.
The Textile Conservation Centre
The RTA is one of the first institutions in the country practicing and imparting internationally accepted methods and techniques of conservation and preservation of the priceless textiles and other artifacts. The conservation centre has not only been responsible for the preservation and conservation of our artifacts but also provided our service to restore many pieces from several Dzongs and monasteries in Bhutan.