POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Turkmen Beshir carpet from Central Asia

Object No. 2009/72/1

This Turkmen Beshir carpet is a lovely example of the superb weaving traditions of the once nomadic Turkmen women of western Central Asia. It is rare to find Beshir carpets of this age in such fine condition. There are five main Turkmen tribes: the Tekke, the closely related Salor and Saryk, the Yomut who live just east of the Caspian Sea, the Ersari who live along the Amu Darya, and the Chodor, all of whom produce rugs in characteristic Turkmen style. While also acknowledged as Turkmen, those rugs identified as Beshir are however something of a conundrum. They differ from the main types of Turkmen rug in that the Beshir is the only type of large Turkmen carpet which does not feature the characteristic Turkmen 'gul' or octagonal motif as the principal element of the field design. Beshir designs are characteristically drawn from well known Persian patterns such as the 'herati' leaf pattern, which is referenced in the field design of this carpet, and the Mina Khani pattern. Beshiri carpet designs are also influenced by the locally produced silk ikats of urban Uzbekistan. The geographical source of Beshir carpets has consequently been a matter for debate. Initially they were thought to have been made by tribal Turkmen Ersari weavers, who lived along the Amu Darya (river), which parallels and criss crosses the border between southern Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. However they are now considered to be the products of Turkmen weavers in the urban carpet workshops of Bukhara, also in southern Uzbekistan, although Murray Eiland (1) argues that they take their name from a town called Beshir on the Amu Darya. Since the towns along the Amu Darya were part of the Emirate of Bukhara during the mid to late 1800s when this carpet was woven, Beshir carpets like this are now often referred to inclusively as 'Khanate of Bukhara'. 1. R. Langlands, Nomadic Rug Traders, Specialists in old Oriental Rugs; Membre de la Conféderation Internationale des Négociants en Oeuvres d'Art; Member of the Australian Antique Dealers' Association 2. M. Eyland Jr. and M. Eiland III, A Complete Guide to Oriental Carpets, Calmann & King Ltd, 1998. p. 244 f. 3. L. Mackie and J. Thompson, Turkmen Tribal Carpets and Traditions, Textile Museum Washington, 1980. p. 180 ff. Christina Sumner (with thanks to Ross and Irene Langlands) Principal Curator Design & Society June 2009