The "skirt": a supplementary band of design at one or both ends of a Turkmen rug, outside the main border, often woven in a deliberately different technique or pattern from the rest of the piece. Elems served practical roles on tent bags and animal trappings, and for collectors they are a fingerprint — the style of an elem helps attribute a piece to a specific tribe such as the Tekke, Salor, or Yomut.
Traditional carpets woven by the Esari tribe of Turkmenistan, characterized by their distinctive deep red background and geometric gul (medallion) patterns. These rugs typically feature a primary elephant foot gul design with secondary motifs arranged in orderly rows, and are known for their fine weave and rich cultural symbolism.
An octagonal or polygonal, stylized flower motif repeated in rows across the field of Turkmen rugs, and also seen in Baluchi rugs and the Bokhara design. In older Turkmen rugs each tribe (Tekke, Salor, Ersari and others) typically kept its own gul, so an expert can read a rug's tribe from the motif, whereas modern pieces mix guls freely. The word means “flower” or “rose” in Persian, though the shapes are highly geometric rather than naturalistic.
Tribal rugs woven by Turkmen nomads, whose forebears came from the Afghan and Uzbek region and who later settled in the Turkmen region of Iran. Rows of octagonal guls (“flowers”) cover a deep red, reddish-brown or occasionally cream field, accented in black, blue, green or beige; the foundation and pile are usually wool. In older pieces each tribe kept its own gul design, whereas newer rugs freely mix them. Turkmen designs inspired Bokhara and Khal Mohammadi rugs and are the Persian design closest to Baluchi work, and the low-to-medium pile suits places where doors swing over the rug.
Turkmen rugs of the Yomut, counted among the finest Turkmen pieces. Most Turkmen rugs are wool on wool, but the Yomut are known for pieces with a silk foundation under a wool pile, and the silk allows a higher knot count and more detailed drawing than is usual for the type. Grounds run to reds, browns and beige, and the rugs are typically unsigned.