Antique Turkoman Kashgar Kilim. One of the few types of Oriental Kilims. The extremely fine wool of this Kilim is so soft that it could be mistaken for a shawl. Kashgar, the principal town of East (Chinese) Turkistan, lies at a remote meeting point of several important trading routes on the ancient silk roads. As a fortified town it has enjoyed considerable strategicl, commercial and social importance throughout the history of Central Asia.The Kilims woven there are extremely fine, soft and light, and can only really serve as covers, for which use they were originally intended. The compositions of these textiles are very similar in appearance to the Uzbek Tatari (safid) Kilims from Sar-i-pul (Nord-Afghanistan) although they can be distinguished by the quality of their wool, and the tightness of their weave. On a background of fine ivory-coloured wool, the pattern is created by the rust red of the horizontal striping, broken by tiny chevrons of moss green and soft yellow. DSDIGN: Field Bands of colour, narrow bands of chevrons Borders: None SIZE: 305x133 cm MATERIALS: Very fine wool warps, fine wool wefts. STRUTURE: Plain weft-faced weave, extra-weft brocading. COLOURS: Ivory white, rust red, moss green, blue and yellow. WOVEN: beginning of 19 century