Rugs Caucasian & Central Asian

Every Caucasian valley had its own geometry, and the Central Asian steppe its own answer. Caucasian and Central Asian rugs come from the Caucasus, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Moldova. Kazak pile rugs from the southern Caucasus, Dagestan kilims, Kuba kilims from northern Azerbaijan and Armenian weaving share a bold geometry of hooked medallions and stars. Turkmen and Ersari chuval storage bags carry tribal guls; Uzbek gajari and Kungrat rugs are pieced from narrow strip-woven bands; Kyrgyz shyrdak felts are inlaid with ram’s-horn shapes, and numdah felts are embroidered in wool. Bessarabian kilims from Moldova bloom with roses in the manner of European textiles, and Kashgari kilims come from the oasis of Kashgar.

Wool in deep red, ivory and blue, often with the abrash of old dye lots, grounds a room. A Kazak in an entry hall or a shyrdak in a bedroom adds weight and color. Geometry, with a long memory.