Oriental Rugs Dictionary
Tekke
Tekke rugs are woven by the Tekke tribe, one of the most prominent Turkmen tribes of Central Asia. These carpets are known for their deep red color palettes, fine knotting, and distinctive repeating gul motifs, often arranged in orderly rows. Tekke rugs are among the most recognizable and highly valued Turkmen carpets. In early Tekke work, the guls quartering the field are joined in a geometric pattern, seemingly of ancient origin and recognizable in some 15 Century Anatolian Holbein carpets. Like the Salor, the Tekke seldom used white cotton in the pile, since natural white wool was available. Unlike the Salor, the dark outline of patterns is in a natural dark brown wool, often undyed, which fades to a lighter brown. In small pieces, the Tekke used brilliant cochineal dyed magenta silk as highlights, and both synthetic and cochineal dyed wool can be found together from about 1880. A particularly recognizable feature of some Tekke main carpets is the wide kilim end, in the same color as the field, with triple blue horizontal lines.
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