MIDDLE AMU DARYA REGION, CIRCA 1880

From the 17^th century through to the 19^th, the Beshir were under the sway of the Emirate of Bukhara. As such were heavily influenced by persianate courtly culture. Many of their weavings share a visual language with those of Iran, with a familiar repertoire of botehs, herati fields, and mihrab niches. The design of the present lot seems to derive from carpets woven with an overall boteh field, such as that published in HALI, 1993, Issue 67, p.42. A further example which HALI published a few years later (2001, Issue 117, p.95) also has an overall design of botehs within hexagonal cells, and like the present lot has electric blue abrashes running diagonally through the field.