MIDDLE AMU DARYA REGION, FIRST HALF 19TH CENTURY

The history and origins of Beshir prayer rugs still remain frustratingly elusive. The design motifs clearly derive from neighbouring weaving cultures but in the hands of the Beshir weavers are transformed into something new and exciting. Structurally, Beshir prayer rugs are loosely knotted, with a wool pile. Some have goat hair wefts, occasionally mixed with wool, and, less frequently, goat hair or mixed warps.

This rug belongs to the type 1C Beshir prayer rugs, according to Ralph Kaffel's classification. (R. Kaffel, 'Beshir Prayer Rugs', HALI, Issue 151, fig.3, pp.74-75). Type 1, has 3 subgroups (A-C) of which the smallest, by some margin, is group C, which consists of just four examples. The ivory ground is centred by a single tree with ascending leafy branches, known as a gapyrga. This is shown beneath a prayer arch supported by two narrow polychrome striped poles, with three flat head 'T' terminals, rather than the curved double hook (kochak), or ram’s horn motif, found on all the other classified groups. Kaffel notes that 3 of the 4, Type 1C rugs have a single prayer arch, such as the present lot, while the fourth has a double prayer arch. On all four examples Kaffel notes that they either display a boxed star border or a boxed ashik gul border. The present rug displays neither of these but has an open-spaced arrangement of alternating striped 'x' and ashik guls suggesting that this may be a new addition to the group.