A richly coloured and vibrant tribal antique Beshir carpet, woven by the Ersari-Turkomans in West Turkmenistan.  They exhibit a continuous repeating design of Herati motifs, palmettes, rosettes and leaves.  They will generally have a central octagonal medallion such as this piece and sometimes with an octagon in each corner.  The tomato reds dominate the colour palette of Ersari-Beshirs, along with a varying background of blue dyes.  The yellows and tribal motifs in the border are a particular highlight to this 140 year old tribal kelleh carpet.They are called Beshir because it is believed that they were made in a small village next to the Amu Darya river bank that was called Beshir. They are, however, no longer produced and haven''t been for over 100 years, but it is known that they made their way through Afghanistan and into Turkmenistan.Some scattered areas of low pile are visible in places, it is in general very good order, with original kilim fringes in tact at one end....