635 - Afghan rug in Ersari tradition, red ground with three elephant's foot guls (Fil Pai), wool on wool

Afghan rug in Ersari tradition, red ground with three elephant's foot guls (Fil Pai), wool on wool Wool on wool, Afghan rug in the Ersari tradition, Afghanistan. Red-ground field with three large octagonal elephant's foot guls (Fil Pai) one above the other, the quarters in red and light red with dark outlines, small secondary motifs in between. Wide red border with grey star-shaped flower motifs alternating with geometric ornaments outlined in light red, framed by rosette borders. Kilim ends at the short sides. Good used condition. 154x90 cm (LxW). Afghan rugs with the large octagonal elephant's foot gul, also called Fil Pai, belong to the weaving tradition of the Ersari Turkmen in northern Afghanistan. They are knotted in the northern provinces of the country, above all around Kunduz and Baghlan. Characteristic is the red ground with guls in regular rows, framed by geometric borders of Turkmen origin. The wool of local sheep breeds is used for both the pile and the foundation. Today these patterns are also produced in Pakistan by Afghan weavers.