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.
