What are Turkoman rugs?
Turkoman rugs are produced byTurkoman tribes which are spreadover an area including Turkmenistan(Turkestan), Usbekistan, Afghanistan and by someofthe Tekke tribe which in the 1950's left Turkmenistan and now live on the northern steppes of Iran. The Tribes traditionally have been nomadic sheep rearers, living where possible in suitable pasture lands. They are horsemen and fierce warriors, for in the old days they fought for pasture and water, and had a reputation for raiding passing caravans and travellers. |
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Broadly speaking Turkoman weaving has come to include Afghan, Baluchi and Tekke rugs, which are similar to each other in colour and construction. The widely used madder red dye colours is used in the majority ofTurkoman carpets, though the range of shades vary widely from deep red through wine, scarlet, to the beautiful soft rose pinks of antique Tekke carpets. |
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The weaving was carried out by women on small portable looms which lay horizontal in use, thus most of the rugs tend to be small in size. Most of the items made by these nomadic tribal groups were intended for their personal use, they include door and wall hangings, saddle cloths, camel bags and storage bags known as juvals, as well as carpets and rugs.Trade in Turkoman carpets flourished in the market towns of Bukhara, Meshed and Herat and exceptionally fine pieces were made to sell to the wealthy merchants who travelled through on their passage to the orient. |
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Today carpet production tends to come from village workshops and is represented by commercial qualities known as Nahzat or H.M. (Hamet Mustafa).They generally have a thick woollen pile which is washed to a fine lustrous finish and give years and years of use.They are sometimes scorned by rug connoisseurs and dealers in antique carpets, but for those of us of modest means, a little time carefully spent hunting the less commercial production of the modern Turkoman weavers can be rewarding and represents a sound investment in a fine product from a diminishing market. |
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