Antique Turkman rug runner from Afghanistan. 276x89 cms

Antique Turkmen Rug Runner

An antique Turkmen rug runner woven from exceptionally soft wool, with a wonderfully silky, shiny and glossy pile. The true beauty of this type of rug is notoriously difficult to capture in a photograph: the lustrous nature of the wool creates subtle variations in colour and light that are best appreciated in person. We hope that, together with our description, the photographs will allow you to imagine its beauty and character in reality.

The weaver created the design using a remarkably tight weave. The field is decorated with seven large guls, each divided into four sections, containing three plants with three flowers each.

The darker central area visible in the photographs is caused by the runner being folded against the direction of the pile. As mentioned above, the pile is exceptionally lustrous, which creates this variation in shade when the rug is folded. After being used for a couple of weeks, the pile will naturally settle in the same direction and this darker fold will disappear.

The warps are made of goat hair, as are the side cords.

Material: 100% hand-spun sheep wool   

Size: 276×89 cms

Origin: Turkmen tribes, Afghanistan

Date of weaving: 1940s

The turkmenare people who speak a language belonging to the southwestern branch of the Turkic languages. The majority live in Turkmenistan and in neighbouring parts of Central Asia and numbered more than 6 million at the beginning of the 21st century. About one-third of the total population lives in Iran, especially in the north, and another 500,000 live in northeastern and northwestern Afghanistan.  These groups are called the Transcaspian Turkmen. Pockets of Turkmen are found in northern Iraq and Syria. Smaller groups live in central Turkey. The territory of the Turkmen is generally arid. They were by tradition a nomadic pastoral people, living in tent villages and raising sheep, goats, horses, camels, asses, and cattle.