Vintage Turkmen Tekke Rug. The Tekke are the largest and most powerful of the Turkmen tribes, and their rugs are considered among the finest examples of Turkmen weaving. For centuries they lived as nomadic pastoralists across the steppes of Central Asia, and the rug was central to that life, woven on portable looms, carried between camps, and used for everything from floor coverings to tent decorations. The craft was passed entirely through women, mother to daughter, generation after generation. What makes a Tekke rug immediately recognisable is the gul, a quartered octagonal medallion repeated in precise rows across the deep red field. The gul was the tribal emblem of the Tekke, as specific to them as a family crest, and no other tribe wove it the same way. The deep crimson background was achieved through madder root, with accents of indigo blue, ivory and black providing the contrast. These are not decorative choices. They are a visual identity that has remained consistent for centuries. This rug is hand knotted from wool on a wool foundation, with a high knot density that gives the surface its characteristic tightness and depth. As a vintage piece, the colours have already mellowed and the pile has settled into a natural patina that only time produces.