Unknown bead, cowrie & metal work item

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by thinreadline

I picked this up at a local flea market recently and wondered if any members have any notion as to its ethnic origin ? It is sewn on to cloth , and measures 75 x 15 cm .

Salaams thin red line... This looks like Turkomen/Afghanistan tribal wear... off the silk road. There are a number of beads namely Lapiz and others of glass...and Cowrie shell...Note the tiny little white glass beads on the ends of tassels. You can see a large pendant stitched on the cloth from a necklace (and typically a number of single pendants). The big circular disc with red glass beads is a style of huge Turkomen pendant.

The entire item is probably not old but cleverly recycles other older items onto this wall or tent decoration.

See https://www.google.com/search?q=Turk...w=1366&bih=655

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.