There are a group of oasis towns in the Khotan (Hotan) in the southern Uyghur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang of Communist occupied China. Chinese Turkistan or East Turkestan has had a steady production of carpets since at least the 17th century. Now some of the high end rug dealers suggest that this production of carpet was started by the importation of Mughal carpets from India. I have a problem with this theory. East Turkestan was part of Mogholistan in the 15th and 16th century. Mogholistan did not reach the cultural heights of the Timurid Herat but I find it hard to believe that they had to import their carpets. Frankly we know that they were producing slip loop pile rugs in Xinjiang 2200 years before the supposed start of weaving so it seems more like a fanciful tale to sell a 6 or 7 figure carpets to the oil rich.

It is likely that rugs and carpets were made in Xinjiang continuously for thousands of years we know that there was weaving in Khotan and Yarkand and likely in a number of other towns. We hear the term Samarkand for these rugs occasionally. Samarkand is in Turkestan proper or Uzbekistan as we now know it. While it is likely that other carpets were woven there the rugs we know as Samarkand are in reality from East Turkestan.

Are all the rugs that we call Khotan really from Khotan? Not likely. it seems that Khotan is often used as a trade term for all Xinjiang carpets.

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS East Turkestan Silk Carpet
Colours: Ivory,pale aqua blue, pale saffron, pale apple green, melon abrashed to golden yellow, coral, rose pink, dark walnut
Warps: Silk, variously ivory or pale madder, Z3S
Wefts: Cotton, natural ivory, Z spun, 2-6 strands, 2 shoots
Pile: Silk, Z spun, 4(?) Sw plied, asymmetric open to the left
Sides and Ends: Later overcast

See also Antique Khotan Rugs Khotan Carpets