Buying Turkmen carpets in Ashgabat?

[crimeariver]

Hi all,

I’m planning to be in Ashgabat end of August/start of September. I would really love to buy a Turkmen rug… does anyone have any experience with this and have a recommendation on where to go? How does international post work in Turkmenistan? Would it be crazy to plan to ship it back to USA from Ashgabat to avoid having to take a big rug on the plane?

[sketchymarco]

Might not be relevant - but have you thought about buying it in Iran from Turkmens? There's loads of Turkmens in Golestan province (Iran), pick a random town inhabited by Turkmens and start carpet hunting. Patterns & colors vary mostly according to ethnicity/culture, so I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for in Iran as well. Shipping from Iran to overseas should be about the price of the rug itself. Haven't done it personally, just reporting what I heard from carpet traders.

[crimeariver]

I’d love to, but due to my nationality I am avoiding travel to Iran…