This area, now Russian, but also for the purpose of this website encompassing the north-eastern regions of Persia and Afghanistan, can roughly be divided into two parts western and eastern. The eastern section can conveniently be based on Samarkand, where there is a rug market dealing with the more Chinese influenced products of Khotan, Kashgar and Yarkand. Prayer rugs as we have defined them are not found in this part of the world, the only type finding its way onto the market being the Saph, or communal prayer carpet, which was usually called Samarkand, and was often made of silk.
The western portion, however, together with North-East Persia and Afghanistan, is responsible for the numerous varieties of the so-called Bokhara weave. The whole of the region is settled by various tribes, and it is their names that are given to many of the different types to be found. In the majority of instances the prayer rugs are not always easy to define, as there may only be a very small mihrab, hardly distinguishing the fact of its use. One of the types most commonly incorporating the mihrab although not seen very often is the Hatchli, which has the main field divided into four parts in the form of a cross. These are usually squarer than the rugs from other countries, and the non-prayer version is also used as a door flap to a tent. A more conventional prayer rug is attributed to Beshir, whilst the other main type in this district is called the Beloutch not from Beloutchistan, as is sometimes popularly supposed, but made by the wandering Beloutchi tribes from the North-East of Persia and Afghanistan.