Near Square Size Vintage Turkmen Tekke Ensi in Prayer Pattern in Red, Navy, Ivory, Blue

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This near-square late 19th century Turkmen Tekke Ensi rug is an exquisite and rare example of Central Asian tribal artistry … Read more This near-square late 19th century Turkmen Tekke Ensi rug is an exquisite and rare example of Central Asian tribal artistry — the Ensi being among the most significant and symbolically resonant textile forms in the entire Turkmen weaving tradition. The Ensi served as the decorative door flap of the Tekke yurt, the felt-covered portable home of the nomadic tribe, and was the most ceremonially important textile in the household — woven with particular care and displayed at the threshold as a marker of identity, beauty, and spiritual protection.

The striking Mihrab prayer design rendered in deep crimson red, accented with geometric motifs in rust, navy, and ivory, reflects both the Islamic devotional tradition and the distinctive visual vocabulary of the Tekke tribal weavers. Genuine 19th century Tekke Ensi rugs are rare and highly prized by collectors worldwide. Turkmen rugs, woven by the nomadic and semi-nomadic tribal peoples of Central Asia — principally the Tekke, Yomut, Ersari, Saryk, and Salor — are among the most instantly recognizable and actively collected tribal textiles in the world. Distinguished by their deep, saturated crimson fields, their repeating octagonal gul medallions, their exceptionally fine high-density pile, and the extraordinary quality of their hand-spun and vegetable-dyed wool, Turkmen rugs combine geometric precision with a richness of material quality that has made them prized from the bazaars of Bukhara to the auction rooms of New York and London.


Dimensions: 4' 1" x 4' 8"

Date of Manufacture: 4th Quarter of the 1800s

Place of Origin: Central Asia (Tekke tribal region)

Material: Wool pile on a wool foundation with vegetable dyes

Condition: Wear consistent with age and use


SKU: 1056 See less