Turkmen tent entrance hanging, ensi, $1,540

Turkmen tent entrance hanging, ensi
from the Ersari tribe, southern Turkestan
late 19th century
Size: 204 x 147 cm

List price: $. 2,420
Sale price: $. 1,540

The Ersari were one of eight or so different tribes of the Turkmen people who inhabited the area that is now part of the independent states of Turkestan and Uzbekistan as well as Afghanistan.
The term ensi refers to the knotted rug which hung at the entrance to the Turkmen yurt or oi (the circular felt tent). It is one of the most important artefacts in the tent and reflected cosmogonical beliefs and the organisation of the tent in its design composition – the division of the field into four as the tent in its layout was divided into quadrants.