Lot 141

YURT FIREPLACE RUG

Parts of the Turkmen tribes settled in the northern regions of Persia (since 1935 Iran) as early as the end of the Middle Ages and their textile production is mostly almost indistinguishable from that of their fellow tribesmen in the western steppes of Turkmenistan. Even so, it is possible that the peculiar horseshoe-shaped carpet originated with members of the Jomut tribe, settled south of the Caspian Sea in present-day Iran. In addition to the large so-called main carpets, transport bags and wedding textiles, special carpets were made among the semi-settled nomads for comfortable seating around a fireplace, the smoke of which escaped through the top of the yurt. The decoration of this cromoby and practical piece is, as with the horse blankets, very sober and purely geometric, with long braids of extremely high-quality hand-spun wool. The carpet is dyed only naturally using local plants and is still called 'ocak başı' (literally 'in front of the fire') in professional circles, according to nomadic custom. Professionally cleaned on both sides, a rare example of an uncommon group of carpets.