Old Turkmen Rug | 161 x 104 cm | Nr. Z-1782

Old Turkmen Rug

Delivery time	2 days
Origin	Turkmenistan
Dimensions	161 cm x 104 cm (= 1.67 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (hand-spun, natural dyes)
knots	360.000
Condition	pre-owned, cleaned & partially restored
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

This rug was knotted by members of the Turkmen tribes. The Turkmen are known above all for their Bukhara rugs. Bukhara (sometimes also written Bochara) is an oasis city in Uzbekistan that lies on the former Silk Road. Although no rugs were actually knotted in Bukhara itself, the city gave its name to many Oriental rugs, because they were traditionally exported to the West from Bukhara. These rugs, however, were knotted by Turkmen tribes such as the Yomoudh or the Tekke.

This Old Turkmen rug is around 76 years old and a true collector's piece.

Material

The technique used to make the materials for the pile of this Old Turkmen rug is more than 200 years old. The wool was dyed with natural dyes and spun by hand. Dyeing with natural or plant dyes is more complicated, more expensive and more time-consuming than dyeing with chemical colours. For a luminous red, for example, around one kilo of ground madder root is needed as dyestuff for every kilo of wool. For a strong yellow that is not too pale, it even takes two kilograms of the dyestuff weld per kilo of wool. Spinning the wool is just as time- and labour-intensive. On top of that, fewer and fewer people still master the craft of spinning wool by hand.

But the effort is worth it: dyeing with natural colours allows the high-quality wool to keep its natural oil content. Wool that has been dyed with natural colours and spun by hand creates fascinating, shimmering patterns. The charm of hand-spun wool, with its slight irregularities and natural shades, comes into its own as a contrast in modern interiors, but equally in rooms furnished in a more traditional or country style.

The foundation (weft and warp threads) of this Old Turkmen rug is made of new wool.

Condition

This Old Turkmen rug has a story to tell. It was knotted around 76. It has been thoroughly cleaned and is in good but only partly restored condition. The fringes could do with a repair. We have not fully restored this Old Turkmen rug, because we feel it has a special charm just as it is. If that is what you would like, we will of course gladly take the restoration further for you. We can bring almost any rug back to near-perfect condition.