On the Road to the Caspian 259 



Tekke and Sarik Turkoman. But in these days 

 the art has almost disappeared among the former, 

 whilst the rugs turned out by the latter in Eussian 

 territory, being made for the European market, 

 have much deteriorated. These ''trade" rugs 

 are sold in London under the designation " Bok- 

 hara," many of them cleverly faked up to turn 

 the present-day crude and raw colours into the 

 soft tones of the old vegetable dyes. 



At the time of our visit the Turkoman had 

 their horses, which have been the chief source 

 of their pride and power, outside the obahs for 

 the purpose of feeding them on the last of the 

 green crops before the winter. We passed long 

 rows of them picketed outside the fields, all 

 rugged up to the ears according to the Turkoman 

 custom. One which the owner kindly brought 

 up for our inspection was in a sweat under 

 three or four numdahs, but having satisfied our 

 curiosity, he piled them all on again. This 

 treatment is designed to keep their coats fine, 

 and in this it certainly succeeds, as most of the 

 horses we saw had a gloss on that would have 

 passed in an English racing stable. These horses 

 have a reputation for extraordinary powers of 

 endurance. Vambery stated that he had seen 

 horses that had carried their riders, with Persian 

 captives bound behind, at a gallop for twenty 



