Beshir Carpet

Description

Recommended to get professional cleaning

– Rugs should be vacuumed regularly

– Spills should be cleaned immediately with clean dry cloth

The history of Turkmen carpet

Turkmen carpets are regarded by carpet experts as descendants of the purest and oldest carpet-veawing traditions in the world. Bokhara was the very important commercial town for turkmen carpets in the history. Therefore, turkmen carpets are misnamed as Bokhara carpets. Today, carpets known as Bokhara carpets are actually turkmen carpets.

Turkmenistan produces some of the most unique and beautiful carpets in the world. Because they are sold internationally under different names (such as Bokhara or Afghan), many people don’t realize their source.

Carpet weaving is one of the most ancient types of applied art of Turkmen nation. The roots of carpet art go to distant past and it was known to the ancestors of Turkmens as far back as 5 thousand years ago.

Even at present day the old specimens of Turkmen carpets are kept in museums, exhibitions and galleries of England, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, United States, Iran, Turkey, Egypt — and this is still not a complete list of countries, in art galleries of which wonderful specimens of Turkmen carpet weaving can be found.

During many centuries, protectively preserving the technology of handmade carpet weaving and its artistic style, Turkmen nation brought it to the present days in a perfect form.

Production technique

The production technique of Turkmen carpets and carpet products remained unchanged over thousands of years.

Handmade carpets and carpet products correspond to cloth of set of interweaving. They are made on the bases of weft and worsted spinning woolen yarn. Two types of knots are used in carpet weaving — double and one and a half.

The carpet knots are tied in each pair of base yarns. After tying of each row of pile knots one or two weft threads are laid along the full width, which are used for attachment of pile knots in base yarns. Then the pile surface is evenly trimmed and both ends are finished with fringe.

Dyeing

Turkmen carpet makers use in most of their work only traditional natural dyes. They have all the conditions for that, because Turkmenistan has the resources needed for plant raw material with dyeing features (more than 150 plant varieties). This is evidenced by more than 800 tints of carpet yarns, on the bases of which amazing carpet products are weaved.

Material

The raw material used for Turkmen carpet is pure natural silk or strong, elastic, pure-wool yarn. Diverse vegetation of pastures gives the most valuable characteristics of wool, high hygroscopicity (ability to easily absorb air moisture and release it) low heat conduction (good protection from the cold), high strength of fibres and flexibility.

Silk and wool for carpet is used from spring shearing, since its fibres are long and strong. Strength and low crimp of wool fibre provides high output of yarn. The important characteristic of the natural silk and wool is also its lustre. Pile of the carpet weaved from the yarn of these types of raw material never crumbles. As time lapses, the tips of piles split, become thin and the carpet acquires velvety lustre and softness.