Buchara | 333 x 250 cm | Nr. 20750

Geometric Bukhara, dark brown with border

Origin	Pakistan
Dimensions	333 cm x 250 cm (= 8.32 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (hand-spun, natural dyes) Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	400.000
Pile height	8mm
Year of manufacture	1970
Colour	Dark brown
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

This wonderful rug with its classic Buchara pattern was knotted in Pakistan. Buchara (sometimes also spelled Bochara) is an oasis city in Uzbekistan that lies on the former Silk Road. Although no rugs were ever knotted in Buchara itself, the city gave its name to many Oriental rugs, because they were traditionally exported to the West from Buchara. The rugs themselves, though, were traditionally knotted by various Turkmen tribes, above all in the Caucasus, Persia and Afghanistan.

Because Buchara rugs are among the finest and best-loved Central Asian rugs, their patterns have inspired weavers in Pakistan as well. That is how this rug with the typical Uzbek Buchara pattern came to be knotted in Pakistan.

Pattern

The decorated surround (border) forms a beautiful contrast to the centre and shapes the transition at the edge of the rug.

The abstract, geometric composition is what gives this Buchara its understated elegance. The pattern flatters the design of the room and never draws attention away from the furniture, the decoration or the architectural elements. It creates a pleasant atmosphere without dominating the style of the room.

The repeating elements of this Buchara rug have no particular centre. The recurring rapport pattern feels calming, yet never dull. Rugs with a rapport pattern are also described as all-over patterned.

The background of this Bukhara is cream white. Dark brown also dominates the overall impression. The border is kept in dark brown.

Condition

You aren't the first to take a liking to this Bukhara. It has had owners before you who valued it and used it. Only the edges have been lightly mended, which is as good as invisible in the overall picture. It was hand-knotted around 1970. We have cleaned it thoroughly and lovingly restored it. Despite its age, it is therefore in very good condition.

Material

The technique used to make the materials for the pile of this Bukhara is over 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, you need around one kilo of ground madder root as dye for every kilo of wool. For a strong yellow that isn't too pale, you even need two kilograms of weld dye per kilo of wool. Spinning the wool is time-consuming and labour-intensive too. On top of that, fewer and fewer people still know how to spin wool by hand.

But the extra effort pays off: dyeing with natural colours lets the high-quality wool keep its natural lanolin 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, works as a contrast in modern interiors, but just as well in rooms furnished in a traditional or country-house style. The weft and warp threads of this Buchara are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and stretchy, which makes it particularly suitable for a hard-wearing foundation weave.