Afghan Rugs

One cannot begin talking about Afghan rugs without first mentioning the Turkmen people who Originate from the Turkic lands predominantly Turkmenistan, a country that has reappeared after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990's.There have been Turkmen people living in Afghanistan for centuries from Herat in the North West to Kunduz in the North East. Most Turkmen people live along the North border of Afghanistan from small villages and settlements to larger towns and cities.
A large influx of Turkmen people occured in Afghanistan in the 1920's after the rise of the Communist state, not wanting to live under the Bolshevik rule of Turkmen lands and of course they took there weaving traditions with them.
By far the most common clan of Turkmen in Afghanistan are the Ersari's although there are other clans the Tekke, the Saruq, the Yamoud, the Quarqeen and the Saltuqs all of which weave carpets rugs and kilims but differ in there preference of designs and motifs.

The Chaker are an Ersari sub-clan who weave their own particular square brick like motif called the Kheshti gu, this motif lost favour in the early 1970,s and is now quite rare to find.

Baluch rugs and carpets get their name from the old province of Baluchistan that stretches from the South west border of Pakistan right up to the North West border with Iran. From Chakhansur at the edge of the Seistan desert in the South West up to Herat in the North West is the area considered as Baluch production. Within this area are a myriad of different tribes some nomadic and some sedantry that weave rugs of differing designs and styles.A general characteristic of Baluch production would be the use of sombre colours such as Indigo, madder and dark aubergine. With the weaving generally looser than Turkmen but not always.