Turkmen Rugs and Rugs from Afghanistan

The Turkmen are a Turkic speaking group which probably began their westward migration with the Huns of the third and fourth centuries. They eventually settled in the area that now comprises modern Turkmenistan, with some also living in adjoining parts of north-eastern Iran and north-western Afghanistan.

Turkmen rugs have fascinated collectors, as the earliest surviving types can usually be identified to tribe from peculiarities of design and structure. Their characteristic tribal motifs are usually octagonal, mostly quartered, and often specific to a particular group. Pile weaves of the Turkmen also reflect the nomadic lifestyle.

The Tekke
The Tekke Turkmen are the most numerous and important of the Turkmen groups, and a large percentage of the Turkmen groups, and a large percentage of Tukmen to reach the West have been woven by the Tekke. Their rugs are extremely finely woven and are characterised by the repetition of a specific gul (tribal motif), repeated in rows across the rug. The field (area of rug between the border and the central design) is always red and varies from a deep brick red to a paler rust.