History of Persian Turkmen rugs

The Turkmen are a group of Central Asian Turks who have lived on the eastern side of the Caspian Sea in northeastern Iran and Turkmenistan for thousands of years. According to the book The Turkmen Genealogy, they have been living as a tribe in tents called yurts for 6,000 years. The Turkmen are a group of Central Asian Turks, most of whom live in Turkmenistan, and some from the Yamut and Tekke tribes live in Iran. The most important art of the Turkmen is carpet weaving. The Italian traveler Marco Polo, in his description of his journey to East Asia, while describing the Turkmen horses, also refers to the beauty of the Turkmen rug.

                       Turkmen women

Colors of Turkmen hand-woven rugs

Limited colors are used in Persian Turkmen carpets. From the past until now, 5 colors were used, which were: white, dark red, dark green, black and crimson, but later a person named Mohammad Niazi(The father of the Turkmen rug) changed this number of colors. It reached 12 numbers, some of which are cinnamon color, light brown, dark brown, golden, light blue.

                       Turkmen rugs

The Turkmen people also used natural plants for dyeing in the past. They extracted a dark red color from madder root and a brown color from a combination of walnut shells and madder root. They sometimes added pomegranate peel to the previous mixture, and a color similar to the color of cinnamon wood was obtained. Also, a combination of white alum and pomegranate peel gave a creamy color.

         Iranian home ,red Turkmen rug

Turkmen Rug Style Features

• Turkmen rugs are made entirely of wool for all parts of the handmade carpet.
• They use horizontal looms to weave rugs.
• The dimensions of Turkmen rugs are often small.
• Turkmen nomads use symmetrical knots and asymmetrical knots to weave their rugs.
• The Tekke tribe uses symmetrical knots and the Yamut tribe uses asymmetrical knots.
• The density of Turkmen carpets is about 40 to 50 knots per 7 cm.
• Turkmens weave a few centimeters of their own design at the beginning and end of the carpet, which is not common in other regions.

Two Turkmen men on a Turkmen rug in front of a yurt. (1905–1915)

Patterns of Turkmen rugs 

In Turkmen rug patterns, repetition is key. Authentic Turkmen designs are all based on repetition. A pattern that expresses a specific concept is repeated in all designs. You may be interested to know that Turkmen carpet weavers weave their rugs without a drawn pattern. They weave the rug row by row with the designs they have in mind. The Turkmen people are divided into different tribes such as Tekke, Ersari, Yamut, Bashir, etc., each of which has its own unique patterns. The names of these patterns are taken from the names of the tribes. The most famous Turkmen carpet patterns are:

• Mari-Gul design:

The most famous design of Turkmen rugs is the Mari-Gul design, which is woven by the Tekke tribe. Another name for this design is camel’s foot, and outside of Iran, it is elephant’s foot. The reason for naming camel’s feet was the Turkmen people’s love for camels. This design includes octagons similar to bergamot that are repeated throughout the rug and create the general design of the Turkmen rug.

Mari-Gul design, Tekke red Turkmen rug

• Four-season design:

The four-season design is specific to the Tekke tribe weavers. In this design, the rug background is divided into four parts with a cross designed in the middle. The colors of these rugs are mainly dark red, green, and brown.

Tekke Turkmen carpet, Four seasons design

• Dyrnak Gul(Shangi):

This pattern belongs to the “Jafarbay” tribe of the Yamut tribe. Dyrnak means nail in Turkish. You can see this diamond pattern that has a toothed edge. Each tooth is called a Dyrnak. The nail is a symbol of the power of attack and self-defense. This design also has another interpretation. The name of this design may be “Daraq Gul”, which means hair comb. A comb is an important tool for Turkmen women.

                      Dyrnak Gul, Turkmen rug

• Gabsa Gul:

 This design, also known as the “Gafsa Gul”, belongs to the Yamut tribe. This word is derived from the root of the cage, meaning protector. This design shows that a bird is sleeping on chicks and 5 chicks are seen coming out from under the bird’s wings on each side. This flower is decorated with a ship’s anchor, which indicates the people’s residence by the sea.

                      Gabsa Gul, Turkmen rug

• Aina Gul:

This pattern is mostly woven by the Turkmen of Yamut. “Aina” is a Turkish word meaning mirror. As all the components and motifs of this design are symmetrical or mirror-like. You can see in this pattern and its components, they are symmetrical or mirror-like.

                          Aina Gul, Turkmen rug

Turkmen silk rug

In Raz and Jargalan province of North Khorasan, the double-sided silk carpet is woven. As can be guessed from the name of this carpet, both sides of this carpet are woven from silk. This carpet is beyond the rest of the handmade carpets of Iran due to its special features. This carpet is woven from natural silk fibers and is very valuable. Currently, Turkmen’s double-sided silk carpet is registered worldwide.

                         Double-sided Turkmen rug

You can read more about these carpets here: Persian Turkmen Double-sided Silk Rug

How to Identify Turkmen Rugs?

• Turkmen carpets are woven with short pile.
• They feature geometric interconnected patterns that are repeated throughout the rug.
• Turkmen handmade rugs are often colored with natural dyes.
• Some rugs use silk for decoration.
• Today, cotton is also used for warp and weft threads.

Turkmen rugs for sale

Turkmen rug is one of the authentic and traditional Iranian rugs. Turkmens tell their culture and love stories through their designs. The design and dyeing of this rug are such that you can use it in modern and classic arrangements. The color combination of neutral and simple furniture along with the warm colors of the Turkmen rug is well coordinated. The price of Turkmen rugs depends on factors such as age, size, and material. If you are interested in buying handmade Turkmen rugs, a collection of Turkmen rugs is presented here.

           Modern design with Turkmen rug