In the 19th Century Many Turkmen tribes people fled to norther Afghanistan and settled in tribal villages.
Previous to the 16th century the Ersari must have shared Mangyshlak with other Turkmen tribes. It is still unknown for how long they lived in the Balkans but at some point during the 17th century they began to migrate south-east. From 1640 onwards, the Ersari migrated further east towards Chahardjui und Kerki (in the territory of Bokhara) and wandered upstream alongside the Amu Darya into northern Afghanistan.
Once in northern Afghanistan, the Turkmen (mostly members of the Ersari tribe) conquered territories in the provinces of Herat, Badghis (Kala i Now), Faryab (Maimana), Jawjan (Shibergan), Balkh (Mazar i Sharif), Samangan, and Kunduz, to name only a few. Exact timelines regarding these movements are hard to come by but such information would certainly make the dating of their rugs much easier. After all, the various red hues and colorings have their origin in these territorial changes.
Two names keep surfacing in relation to Ersari rugs, the Kizil Ayak and the Ersari. These are the most known types of carpets produced by Ersari women weavers. Like the Kizil Ayak, the Beshir are part of the Ulug Tapa(104).
To this day not much research has gone into dating Ersari carpets or identifying the many minor tribes involved in their production. We carry many Turkmen rugs at any given time. Please feel free to make an appointment to buy your Turkmen carpet today.
