Bokhara Rug 4'1" x 2'7"

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Regular price $230.00 CAD
Price $460.00 CAD Special Price $230.00 CAD

CUSTOM SIZES AVAILABLE BY SPECIAL ORDER

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Sizes are approximate. Photos are not necessarily exact for color.

New rugs are of the highest quality and are handpicked overseas by the Bashir Family.

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Overview


This Shah Saloor Bokhara, also know as a Turkoman rug, charms a room with instant elegance with its dark midnight field. The pleasing symmetry of its numerous intricately detailed guls and borders further add to its elegance. Hand-knotted in pure wool by weavers in the Himalayan foothills, it embodies the traditional aesthetic found in carpets from the Caucus region. _x000D__x000D_This piece derives its name from the "Salor" tribe which was once the wealthiest and most prestigious of the Turkoman tribes. They occupied the oasis land surrounding Merv from the late 17th century until driven from their homeland by the Tekke tribe in 1856. By 1870, tribal wars had and disputes had dispersed the Salor population, and many Salors were absorbed into Sariq and Tekke tribes. The Salor "gul" is octagonal with spiked projections pointing both inward and outward from its rim. A smaller octagon appears at the center of the gul. The secondary "guls" used in Salor rugs resemble the major guls of the Tekke and Sariq tribes. The Salor tribe used the finest-quality wool and their weaving technique was the best of all the Turkoman tribes. This current piece uses a wool so soft that it emits a sheen and feels like silk at the touch. In fact, many times customers ask us if its made from silk material.

Materials & Craftsmanship:
This diligently hand-knotted area rug is made of 100% pure lamb’s wool. Wool is a natural material, representing a healthy choice that is environmentally friendly with a long list of benefits. The pile of this wool rug is hygienic and non-allergenic, as the natural pile also deters the growth of bacteria and dust mites. It represents a great choice for asthma sufferers due to its natural filtering ability. The rug feels soft under the foot while remaining wear-resistant and long-lasting. With proper maintenance tailored to its needs, this rug can last over 75 years.

Finishing:
The finishing of this carpet was done using centuries old traditional techniques. Once its laborious hand-knotting was completed, it was rolled and entirely submerged in a sanitizing bath where its fibers fully absorbed all cleaning liquid. After which it was laid flat on the ground where a team of cleaners used wooden oar-like paddles to push the water through its fibers and draw out impurities. Oar strokes were done in sync to prevent the carpet from getting torn. Each stroke tightened the knots even further. No machines were involved in its washing or drying.

A Brief History of Bokhara Rugs & Carpets

Bokhara is a term widely used in the West to refer to carpets and rugs made by various Turkmen tribes of Central Asia. Their history dates back centuries. The Turkomans were situated to the north of what is now called Afghanistan. During the early 1900s, the name of Bukhara, a city in Uzbekistan, was given to these rugs. The Turkomans were an industrious people who would barter their trade for food, clothing, etc. As a result, their weaving would invariably show up in bazaars (a type of market) in cities such as Bukhara, hence the name. The city did serve as a transit point for some Turkmen rugs on their way to the West. Nowadays, Bokharas are considered among the finest carpets in Afghanistan and Pakistan, distinguished by their extra fine knots and soft, silky touch. They are also popular worldwide due to their suitability to almost any space.

Bokhara carpets contain a repeating motif known as the "gul" which are commonly found on its main field in larger sizes and found on its borders in smaller sizes. A gul (also spelled as gol, göl or gül) is a medallion-like motif typically found in traditional hand-woven carpets from Central Asia, West Asia and parts of South Asia. These motifs are very ancient and animistic in origin, pre-dating Islamic and Christian times. The origin of the term is uncertain and it is disputed to this day. In Farsi, the language spoken in modern day Iran, it is said to mean "flower" or "rose". Meanwhile in the Turkish language, the term gül means a "rose" or a "roundel" or even a "lake".

The symbolism behind this motif is equally disputed. Their octagonal guls are sometimes referred to by carpet specialists as the elephant's foot in reference to the elephants that would traditionally transport Mughal Empire royalty on their journeys. Other specialists claim that they represent jewels resembling those that adorned the palace walls and crowns of Mughal royalty. This is said to be the case specifically for the Bokharas produced in Afghanistan and Pakistan which are both countries that were ruled once by the Mughal Empire at its greatest extent, in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Some handmade carpet specialists claim that the rounder guls do not have any relation to Mughal Empire royalty but instead represent celestial bodies such as the sun, moon or stars. They also claim that the more geometric shaped guls such as the lozenge-shaped ones signify women and that when they are attached to other guls they signify women and men together joining hands. Therefore, it is left to our imagination as to the real meaning behind each variety of gul. To view more Bokhara rugs, we invite you to visit our Bokhara Collection.

Sources and inspiration: Bérinstain, Valérie, et al. L'art du tapis dans le monde (The art of carpets in the world). Paris: Mengès, 1996. Print.; Jerrehian Jr., Aram K.A. Oriental Rug Primer. Philadelphia: Running Press, 1980. Print.; Herbert, Janice Summers. Oriental Rugs, New York: Macmillan, 1982. Print.; Hackmack, Adolf. Chinese Carpets and Rugs, Rutland and Tokyo: Tuttle, 1980. Print. ; De Moubray, Amicia, and David Black. Carpets for the home, London: Laurence King Publishing, 1999. Print.; Jacobsen, Charles. Oriental Rugs A Complete Guide, Rutland and Tokyo: Tuttle, 1962. Print.; Bashir, S. (n.d.). Personal interview.; Web site sources and dates of consultation vary (to be confirmed). Without prejudice to official usage.