Antique Timuri Carpet, Timuri Tribes, Borderland of ...

Item Ref
BM/SJ3

This handsome carpet was made by Timuri tribes in the borderlands of east Persia and west Afghanistan during the last quarter of the 19th century.
It is in excellent pile all over and makes a very decorative antique floor carpet.
Size: 2.64m x 1.63m (8' 8" x 5' 4").
£4,500

Antique Timuri Sangtschuli Tribe, Borderlands of North-East ...

Item Ref
BM1996

In near-mint condition, this fabulous Timuri rug has the highest quality soft, shiny wool with highlights of green silk throughout and complete kilim skirts at each end. The central 'tree-of-life' has branches protruding from it and surrounded by a multitude of symbols - stunning and subtle in its drawing. The madder-red main border depicts a continuous vine - symbolically representing the eternal cycle of life. Made circa 1880 -1900 by Sangtschuli tribes on the eastern Persian/western Afghanistan border, it really needs to be seen and handled to fully appreciate the high quality of the work involved. This is Timuri weaving at its best!
Size: 2.44m x 1.27m (8' 0" x 4' 2").
£3,500

Antique Timuri Prayer-Rug, Yaqoub Khani Sub-Tribe, Borderlands ...

Item Ref
BM/SJ9

Depicting a 'tree-of-life' on a natural un-dyed camel-hair field, this beautiful prayer-rug was made around 1880 by the Timuri Yaqoub Khani tribe, occupying the borderlands of eastern Persia and western Afghanistan.
The rug is in very good condition with complete brocaded skirts.
Size: 1.40m x 0.84m (4' 7" x 2' 9").
£2,500

Antique Prayer-Rug, Timuri Tribes, Borderlands of North-East ...

Item Ref
BM/AM1

Here we see a good early prayer-rug made by Timuri nomads around 1860 in the borderlands of north-east Persias/north-west Afghanistan. The indigo-blue field contains a stylised 'tree-of-life' and the brocaded skirts at each end are intact - a rare feature these days. The rug is in very good overall condition, albeit having the usual brown-dye corrosion, more obvious in the lower part of the field.
Size: 1.40m x 0.96m (4' 7" x 3' 2").
£2,250

Antique Timuri Prayer-Rug, Yaqoub Khani Sub-Tribe, Borderlands ...

Item Ref
BM/N1

Beautifully balanced design of 'trees-of-life' rising upwards on a natural undyed, camel-ground field, from the underworld to the branches symbolising the world of the spirit.
Made by the Yaqoub Khani Timuri during the last quarter of the 19th century, the rug is in excellent condition, albeit with some very tiny repairs, and is complete with its brocaded and slit-tapestry skirts at either end. The wool quality is amazing, soft and silky, and this rug would make an amazing wall-hanging.
A truly beautiful prayer-rug which needs to be seen to fully appreciate the subtle natural colours.
Size: 1.55m x 0.84m (5' 1" x 2' 9").
£1,500

Antique Prayer-Rug, Timuri - Yaqoub Khani Sub-Tribe, ...

Item Ref
BM/RMI

This is undoubtedly the best Timuri Yaqoub Khani namazlyk (prayer-rug) that exists in the world market today. A bold statement, but having handled and being aware of what is in private collections world-wide, I have never seen such a complete and mint-condition piece as this one!
Acquired from a private collection in Mashad in north-eastern Iran last month, I can only guess that this rug was made for an important person at the end of the nineteenth century, possibly hardly used and kept in a 'bokcha' (special dowry bag), totally preserved with its complete brocaded skirts. Amazing!
The extremely finely knotted natural camel-hair field contains the symbolic 'tree-of-life' rising upwards from the underworld, the branches in the earthly world leading to the spiritual realms. The brocaded skirts have highlights of silver and gold thread woven into the nesting birds as can be seen in the close-up photos, indicating this was commissioned by a wealthy member of the tribe, possibly the Khan himself.
This is a hugely important rug and highly collectable.
Size: 1.65m x 0.78m (5' 5" x 2' 7").
SOLD

Antique Timuri Main Carpet, Western Afghanistan.

Item Ref
BM660

To Timuri and Baluch collectors, this carpet can only be described as fabulous! Albeit worn in the centre and also with corroded brown, it still glows as the best of Timuri carpets do. Look at the brocaded ends - just magnificent and complete! There is only one small area of repiling in the top right-hand corner where there was a slight ruck due to the tightness of the brocaded skirts, otherwise it is completely original.I hope it goes to a good home - to someone who will treasure it.
Size: 2.19m x 1.44m (7' 2" x 4' 9").
SOLD

Antique Timuri Prayer-Rug, Timuri Tribes, Borderlands of ...

Item Ref
BM/MI3

This Timuri 'namazlyk' (prayer-rug) is as good as they come! Made circa 1870-1880, the central field incorporates the 'Dokhtar-e-Qazi' shrub and it's possible that this prayer-rug was made by the Dokhtar-e-Qazi sub-tribe. The light areas throughout the rug are knotted in magenta silk which suggests this prayer-rug was made for a very important person within the tribe - possibly the chief himself! This rug incorporates 'trees-of-life' in the upper hand-panels and it retains its original flat-woven skirts at each end.
The rug is in excellent overall condition and pieces like this today in the world marketplace are very rare.
Size: 1.53m x 1.26m (5' 0" x 4' 2").
SOLD

Antique Timuri Tribal Rug, Khaf Valley, Borderlands ...

Item Ref
BM/PC

A very rare and beautiful small, square rug of the Timuri tribes, who in this case, were based in the region of the Khaf Valley in north-eastern Persia and bordering north-western Afghanistan.
Made around the mid 19th century, the beautiful shades of glowing indigo-blue was a trademark of the Timuri as well as the typical Timuri weave - quite different to their near-neighbours, the Baluch.
The beautiful blue field contains 'Khaf guls' spontaneously placed throughout.
In all my years trading in the best of early tribal rugs, I have never come across a small rug like this one, and in what I see, as a miniature carpet of the Timuri! Take a look at the small close-up photos to see the true colours and note the row of small quadrupeds at the base of the blue ground.
Overall, this magnificent rug is in very good condition, bar some minor wear at the top part of the blue field.
This rug has been in my personal collection for some time and, although I'm sad to part with it, I have had great enjoyment from it and hope the next person will enjoy it as much as me! Very collectable.
Size: 1.53m x 1.14m (5' 0" x 3' 9").
SOLD

Antique 'Prayer Rug', Timuri-Sangtschuli Tribe, Western Afghanistan ...

Item Ref
BM889

This stunning 'prayer rug' must rank as one of the finest knotted pieces I've ever handled. The rug comprises a 'tree-of-life' in the natural camel-hair field and the long flat-woven skirts are complete at each end. For the only other known example of this exceptional type, see page 83 in the published collection of Marvin & Frederica Amstey in 'Vanishing Jewels - Central Asian tribal Weavings' - a 1990 exhibition at the Rochester Museum & Science Centre.
SOLD

Antique Prayer-Rug, Timuri Tribes, Borderlands of Eastern ...

Item Ref
BM/SJ5

Rare and deeply saturated in glowing vegetable colours, this prayer-rug was made by Timuri nomads in the mid 19th century. Very few Timuris with this field and border design appear on the market and this rug is in overall very good condition bar some slight corrosion in the dark brown/black dye. In sunlight, as a dear, late friend of mine once said, the colours are like oil floating on water. This rug has to be seen to be fully appreciated, but with the sun shining on it, the colours are amazing. Note the powerful ivory border framing the field and mihrab and the long brocaded skirt at the lower end - again incredibly rare. This is a rug for collectors - a rug of a type of which few exist.
The rug is illustrated in my book 'Tribal Rugs - Treasures of the Black Tent' on page 90 of the third edition.
Size: 1.30m x 0.86m (4' 3" x 2' 10").
SOLD

Antique Prayer-Rug, Timuri Tribes, Dokhtar-e-Qazi Sub-Tribe, ...

Item Ref
BM/SJ4

A rare and beautiful Timuri prayer-rug of the Dokhtar-e-Qazi tribe made circa 1880.
Dokhtar-e-Qazi literally means 'daughter of the judge' - a sub tribe of the Timuri that occupied the border area of eastern Persia and western Afghanistan. The indigo-blue field is decorated with a small tree or shrub design which is peculiar to this tribe together with the distinctive pointed-shape mihrab. The rug is in excellent condition and is complete with flat-woven ends.
See my book 'Tribal Rugs - Treasures of the Black Tent' for a similar example and my recent article in the December 2018 Carpet Collector magazine covering the Timuri nomads.
Size: 1.43m x 1.13m (4' 8" x 3' 8").
SOLD