Ersari long rug

Woven along the banks of the Oxus River in Central Asia, this long and narrow Bashir carpet represents a distinctive form of Turkmen weaving. The town Bashir is located in what is now Uzbekistan. Its history as a weaving center is murky and the name should be seen more as a descriptive market term rather than as a firm place of origin. ‘Bashir’ pieces are thought to have been woven by settled or partially settled Turkmen tribal people, many of whom may have been Ersari Turkmen. This group of rugs tend to use designs more typically seen in Central Asian textiles and Persianate ornamentation. This fascinating piece uses a geometric repeat of colorful layered octagons, each outlined with delicate pin-head design. This later flourish may be an homage to ikat textiles. This field pattern is seen more typically as a border design. Here, a classic Turkmen curled-leaf border is used to frame the piece.