ANTIQUE ERSARI TURKOMAN CARPET 690 x 365 cm

In the second half of the 19^th Century Czarist Russian forces defeated the Turkoman and colonised large swathes of Central Asia. The once noble nomadic Turkoman tribes, notably the Ersari and the Salor moved with their sheep, their horses and their yurts to the steppes of NW Afghanistan.

They prospered into the 20^th C with the developmental reigns of Kings Habbibullah and his son Amanullah, when Afghanistan was modernised, electrified. The tribal leaders, the Khans, built large mansions with audience halls to adjudicate hostilities between their clans.

With the coming of Communism in the 1980’s the ruling families moved again, this time with the King Zahir Shah, to country estates on the outskirts of Rome, Italy. There, they followed their equestrian passions, while their Afghan family farms prospered in difficult invasive circumstances.

There are three types of oversize Afghan carpets. Those made for the King in Persian floral style, the Turkoman carpets made for government offices, and the private audience carpet.

This belongs to the latter.

We sourced this rare carpet through Italian contacts. It is in wonderful condition, no repairs, no worn areas, complete with its flat-woven Elem panel ends. A grand home, a rarely used room, no shoes have touched this carpet, such is the culture.

• Material: 100% Sheep wool
• Dyes: Natural
• Age: 1920s
• Condition: Perfect
• Origin: Northern Afghanistan