Deep Red and Camel Stepped Turkmen Medallion Kilim, Hand-Woven Wool

Material: 100 percent hand-spun wool, with flat-woven kilim bands at both ends.

Care instructions

• Use a rug pad underneath to stop the rug slipping and to cushion the weave.
• Vacuum gently with the beater bar off, and avoid dragging the head across the flat-woven ends.
• Rotate the rug every six months for even wear.
• Blot spills immediately, working from the outside in.
• Have the rug professionally cleaned when needed — never machine wash.

The stepped medallion is one of the oldest devices in Turkmen weaving, and its shape comes directly from the loom: every edge is built from right angles because that is what warp and weft allow, so the outline steps rather than curves, and the hooks along its edges are the weaver's way of softening a hard corner. Two medallions rather than one means the rug is meant to be walked along rather than viewed from the middle of a long side. What sets this piece apart from most Afghan weaving is the ground — a pale camel-ivory instead of the usual deep red, which throws the madder medallions forward and lets the rows of small cypress trees between them read clearly. The flat-woven kilim bands at each end are left visible rather than trimmed away, the mark of a rug finished for use rather than for quick export.