POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Tent door cover (engsi), Yomut Turkmen

Object No. 2015/26/12

This fine tent door covering or engsi was woven by a woman of the Yomut Turkmen tribe in Turkmenistan or eastern Iran in the mid 19th century. Notable features of this example are the unusual motifs in the field which, as is characteristic of engsis, is divided into four quadrants. The unusual motifs are composed of four small touching diamonds, with a hook device in each and outlined in a contrasting colour red with light or dark blue. These motifs are somewhat similar in form to the centre of the kepse gul, which appears in Yomut main carpets and sometimes storage bags. Additionally, there are comb motifs and another talismanic motif among the well-spaced pine trees in the end panel or elem. The Turkmen were mostly tent-dwelling pastoral nomads, whose ancestors are said to have moved westwards from Mongolia into Central Asia in around the 10th century. Relocating themselves and their animals with the changing seasons, the Turkmen were strongly independent and warlike. They kept mostly to their respective tribal lands which principally consisted of the present-day Central Asian state of Turkmenistan, and extended south along the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea into north-east Iran and northern Afghanistan. The engsi is part of a large and significant collection of mostly Yomut Turkmen rugs and trappings that collectively presents a comprehensive picture of the highly-skilled Yomut women's output, featuring fine examples from their repertoire. These weavings capture the essence of this independent people and their virtually extinguished nomadic existence. The mobile circumstances of Yomut daily life, and that of other nomadic Turkmen groups, necessitated the kind of housing adapted to nomadism, and the round timber-lattice oy or yurt suited them well. Turkmen women furnished their mobile homes with the kind of admirably functional and transportable carpets, rugs, cushions and trappings represented in this collection. From a design pespective, the principal motif on Yomut, and most Turkmen weavings is the gul, an octagonal geometric motif that is thought to be a tribal emblem and so representative of a particular tribe. These major guls are usually arranged diagonally, and decorate the fields of both carpets and smaller items, with minor guls filling the spaces between. A great deal has been written about guls and their variety and many different forms have been identified and named; some guls are unique to particular forms of weaving, such as the juval (large storage bag) gul. As with most Turkmen rugs, Yomut designs are largely symmetrical around both the vertical and horizontal axis. Turkmen women used wool from their own flocks of sheep and goats for weaving carpets, bags and bands to furnish and decorate their tents as well as colourful trappings for their prized horses and camels. Most Yomut Turkmen weavings are a lush pile weave, most commonly with symmetrical knots although asymmetrical knots are also sometimes used. The rich and varied reds that characterise Turkmen rugs and trappings generally were easily obtainable from local madder plants. Christina Sumner Formerly Principal Curator Design & Society May 2013