Galmourie Kelim 197 x 98 cm

Maimana is a market town in NW Afghanistan. It serves and is at the conuence of the valleys that go right up the Hindu Kush. This is the last, the extreme western edge of the range of mountains, Himalya, Pamir Hindu Kush. The people are mostly Uzbek farmers with a few sheep which sets them apart from the Turkoman of the nearby drier climate steppes who specialise in sheep. The Uzbek make at woven kelim and the Turkoman are famous for their red pile rugs. The Uzbek household is surrounded by high walls and there is a free standing platform under the trees in the garden that we’d call a deck on which tea and biscuits and lunch are served for most of the year. The kelims are mostly made for these decks. Inside the houses a light futon is a oor covering. The kitchen is seperate from the house and bedrooms. The wool is handspun and dyed by the Uzbeks themselves. They use mostly vegetal sources and make sure there is no running dye so they can have food served and be regularly washed. Material: Hand-spun Afghan sheep wool Dyes: Natural Age: Late 20th C. Condition: Great Origin: Afghanistan