Bukhara (also spelled Bokhara) is an ancient Silk Road city in Uzbekistan and historically one of the great trading hubs of Central Asia. Despite the name, Bukhara was not a major rug-weaving center — it was a market through which Turkmen rugs woven elsewhere in Central Asia were sold and exported to the West.
This historical role created lasting confusion. In modern Western rug trade:
- "Bukhara rug" is typically used as a generic name for Turkmen tribal rugs featuring repeating gul medallions in red color palettes — particularly those of the Tekke tribe
- Rugs sold as "Bukharas" may originate from anywhere in the broader Turkmen weaving region: Turkmenistan, northern Afghanistan, or northern Iran
- More accurate dealer terminology would identify the specific tribe (Tekke, Yomut, Ersari, etc.) and region
Two main contemporary categories of "Bukhara" rugs:
- Russian/Turkmen Bukhara — traditional Turkmen tribal rugs from Turkmenistan, generally finer quality, often with the small-scale Tekke gul
- Pakistani Bukhara — modern production from Pakistan (especially Lahore) featuring Bukhara-style designs adapted for Western markets, often coarser and more brightly colored than authentic Turkmen weavings
A "Bukhara" rug is recognizable by:
- Repeating gul medallions in a grid pattern across the field
- Predominantly red color (deep red or madder-red ground)
- Dark blue, ivory, and brown accents in the guls and borders
- Multiple borders of progressively smaller pattern bands
For serious collectors, the more meaningful question is which tribe wove the rug — Tekke, Salor, Yomut, Saryk, or Ersari — each with its own gul vocabulary and historical reputation.