Ersari Rugs

The Ersari are the largest of the Turkmen confederations, historically settled along the Amu Darya river in what is now Turkmenistan and northern Afghanistan. Their weaving is generally looser and larger in scale than the tightly knotted work of the Tekke, and it is the most colourful of the Turkmen traditions: alongside the characteristic madder red you find yellows, greens and apricot tones that other Turkmen groups rarely used. Because the Ersari lived along a trade route rather than in isolation, their designs absorbed outside influence, and floral and vine patterns appear beside the traditional guls. Carpets tend to be generous in size, and the wool is typically lustrous. The best-known subdivision is Beshir, whose rugs are often the most adventurous in colour and drawing of all; those are gathered separately under Ersari Beshir rugs.