Vintage Kurdish Herki rug from Irak. 393x89 cms

A colourful vintage Herki Kurdish runner full of botanical motifs. The main field is full of eight petal flowers and plants arranged in pairs. The design is repeated, but a fun touch is introduced by changing the colour of the flowers throughout the runner. The two borders also contain smaller flowers, woven in a more simplified way. 

Material: 100% hand-spun sheep wool              

Size: 393×89 cms

Origin: Kurdish Herki, Iraq

Date of weaving: 1970s

Herki, also spelled Harki (Kurdish: Herkî ,ھەرکی‎) is a large tribe in Kurdistan. The largest part of this tribe live in Iraqi Kurdistan and a significant number live in Iranian Kurdistan. They are also found in Northern Kurdistan.

The Herkis lived mostly a nomadic life with their herds; however, this changed a lot after 1920 and the Treaty of Sèvres. The new hand-drawn borders of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey hindered Kurdish tribes to continue their way of life.

In 1989 they counted some 20,000 people, living between Urmia and Rawanduz, one of the largest remaining groups of pastoral herders. On their regular movement they brought salt from Iran to Iraq and carried wheat and barley back to Iran.

The Herkis were a very well-armed tribe, and were noted to be good warriors and fierce men. Some of their women would occationally be seen fighting alongside men.