The density and variety of motifs in this rug it almost a catalogue make of Central Asian protective and cosmological symbols. It draws on motifs influenced by Persian, Caucasian, Turkish, Chinese and Turkmen traditions. But the oddity of the piece is its almost square shape. No rugs of this size were woven as squares. It is thus a reconstructed piece either cut and patched from the same carpet or combining pieces from different carpets. Joints are apparent on close examination and in several places the design is broken. This type of reconstruction – which could be recent – is common within both the Central Asian and Persian rug trade as a way of salvaging damaged pieces. But what is special to the rug is the richness of the motifs of different origin within it. For students of Central Asian rugs it is like a sampler of symbols and symbolism that come together in the Beshir region of the Silk route.
The original rug/s date from the mid to late 19th century.