Filpa Kargai

Knotted by a nomadic family of the ancient Ersari tribe - who have pastured their flocks over a vast territory extending along the borderlands between northern Afghanistan and Russian Turkestan, on each shore of the river Oxus, since at least the 18th Century - this is a finely knotted and entirely traditional example of Ersari weaving at its most elevated level, representing one of the last authentic traditions of living nomadic rug making to have survived without change up until the present day. With its focal design of large and beautifully-drawn gulli-gul ‘Elephant’s Foot’ lozenges, the wonderfully soft tonality of its rust-red dyes and the outstanding silky quality of its locally sheared and handspun pile wool, this is a particularly beautiful example of the finest Filpa category of Ersari knotting, representing the most collectable classification of genuine Afghan tribal weaving art.