Gajari Flatweave Rug, Uzbekistan

Narrow strips walk into a room and agree, more or less, on a pattern.

This gajari flatweave rug comes from Uzbekistan and dates to the 20th century. It is wool. Gajari are made from long, narrow strips woven separately and then sewn together edge to edge, and were used as floor coverings, wall hangings and dowry textiles in Central Asian homes. Each strip here carries its own run of stepped diamonds or slanting hooks in brick red, navy, orange and ivory. The motifs nearly line up across the seams, which is half the charm. Just over six feet wide and nearly eight long.

Perfect alignment would have been far less interesting.