It was quite another situation with their patterned felts. These felts are still produced in great numbers in most of the regions of Turkmenia.

The pieces published in this article were seen during our trip in April, 1988, to the Saryq area in Merv Province along the Murghab River valley. The specific areas visited were those of Yolatan, Takhta-Bazaar, Pende Oasis and Kushka.

Today patterned felts are made solely for personal use. They are spread on the floor of homes not only in the villages but also in the towns.

Sheep wool and synthetic dyes are used to make the felts. A reed mat is placed on the ground. It is then covered with a layer of specially teased white or gray fleece for the base. A thin layer of specially prepared and dyed white wool is placed on top of this base. The whole layer is then poured thoroughly with hot water. After that the wool is rolled and unrolled many times in the reed mat until the patterned layer has bonded or felted firmly to the base.

The result of the hot water and rolling process is that the wool fibers adhere to one another. The fibers of the base bond to the thin, pattern layer.^l According to our observations, the pattern layer is sometimes additionally painted.

Based on our preliminary observations, the following patterns were observed:

1. A rhomb or diamond form as the main element;
2. Mosaic composition;
3. A round form including circles with wavy edges;
4. A tree-shaped main element; and,
5. A rug design.

The most popular named designs are burma gul (twisted flower), gosha-gocha (double horns), djami (cup), gune bakar (sunflower), hali gul (rug design), and some others. In the borders of the felt, one frequently finds the triangle design tumar and wavy line sailan, which is the same as the Yomud sary ichan. Undoubtedly, designs such as the circles and crosses with the wavy edges represent the ancient symbols of the sun.

The patterned felts of Turkmenia were always overshadowed by the pile carpets, and that is why there have been no serious investigations of them. In our opinion the patterned felts deserve a deeper study and should be of greater interest for serious scholars of folk arts.

This brief survey of the Saryq felts of today is offered as a first step in the documentation of these highly perishable items.

1 According to another opinion, two or three thin layers of semi-transparent wool are placed on the patterned layer.