Turkmenistan · Weaving / Carpet
Тeke halы (Tekke haly)
The Tekke carpet (Текке халы) is the most internationally recognized Turkmen tribal carpet tradition — produced by the Tekke tribe of the Ahal and Mary regions and identified by its specific octagonal gul (medallion) arranged in diagonal offset rows. The Tekke tradition uses the asymmetric Persian knot at densities of 80-160 knots per square inch — among the highest in Central Asian carpet. The defining technical knowledge is the gul counting system: each gul is counted by its internal color sequence — the specific number of knots of each color within the gul is memorized and spoken aloud during weaving — 'I count the gul as I weave it because the gul is a word and the count is its letters.'
Risk level: Endangered · UNESCO Representative List (2019) — Turkmen carpet weaving; Turkmenistan national ICH list
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