CARPETS
Our Belouchi rugs are a mix of Persian and Afghan tribal production. Their goods are traditionally sold in the spectacular cities of Maschad or Herat. They tend to be in all-over geometric designs using typical dark reds and blues for colouration though beige is also found. Orange, gold, white and green are also used as secondary colours. Sizes tend to be standardized from 4’ x 2’ up to 5’ x3’, with some larger pieces found occasionally. Belouch rugs are quite fine - the finest of all the tribal weaves in large-scale production today and represent very good value for money. The Afghan and Turkoman influence can be seen by the use of the polygonal motif (known as guls or elephant’s foot) as the various tribes intermingle. Generally woven with a wool pile on a woolen warp. The selvedges are finished using goats wool which is meant to deter snakes entering the tent or hut.
Due to the current unrest in Afghanistan we make most of our current purchases of these goods in Pakistan. Here there are camps of Afghani people of Turkoman origin taking refuge from the conflict. They have taken to their new circumstances with typical fortitude, setting up looms within the refugee camps to bring in revenue for their extended families. However, with the fall of the Taliban most refugees are returning to Afghanistan and restarting weaving at home. There is only one set layout for the traditional designs of the whole Turkoman area, several rows of of repeating octagonal or other polygonal motifs, known as guls, on a red, beige or blue ground (or tones of these colours), usually interspersed with another set of repeating motifs (secondary guls), the whole encased in a rich array of narrow geometric borders. Each tribe or sub-tribe has its own gul and we have examples of Tekke, Yomut and Ersari tribal motifs within our stock. Inexpensive rugs for the amount of work put in to them.
Khal Mohammadi was a Master Dyer in the city of Kabul in Afghanistan around 150 years ago. He started to commission a much higher grade of Afghan carpet using traditional though more unusual tribal designs. The workshop eventually was taken over by his family after his death and continued in production until World War 2, when the ravages of this time ceased the weaving of these remarkable quality rugs. This means that true Khal Mohammadi rugs should be over 50 years old. We currently buy these pieces in the bazaar of Peshawar in Pakistan as the refugees from the current conflict in Afghanistan bring out with them some of these wonderful examples of the weaver and dyers art. However, we also believe there is new production of these rugs which are mixed in with the older pieces at the bazaar.