Literature

Author: Brian MacDonald
Publisher: Antique Collectors Club
Price: £43 + P&P

Tribal Rugs - Treasures of the Black Tent is an exploration of one of the most ancient crafts in the world.

Beginning with the discovery of the oldest complete rug, which has been dated to the 4th-5th century BC, the reader is taken on a journey through the weaving history of the nomadic peoples of Iran, Afghanistan, The Caucasus and Central Asia.

This new book contains a much larger chapter on the Turkmen tribes and extensive up-dating throughout, plus a multitude of new photographs. In this edition I have concentrated on the tribes of the Turkmen people, the Baluch and Timuri tribes inhabiting the border-lands of Iran and Afghanistan, the Persian tribes and lastly, but by no means least, the village rugs from the tribes that inhabit the Caucasus.

Twenty chapters introduce the different tribal groups and illustrate the rugs, carpets, kilims and utilitarian dowry bags attributed to their weavers. Tribal Rugs is both a celebration of the woven legacy left by the nomadic tribes and a tribute to the skill and artistry of the women who created these wonderful works of tribal art. I hope that it will provide an introduction for the novice and excite the more knowledgeable to further study.

Tribal Rugs - Treasures of the Black Tent was acclaimed as "...one of the finest books written on tribal rugs." (Ghereh International Review).