The majority of the TURKMEN tribe of Iran lives in the north and northwest sections of Iran. Marco Polo said in the 13th century, "Here they make the most exquisite and beautiful rugs in the world." The Turkmen tribe has handwoven rugs for many centuries. Rug weaving is one of the oldest arts in Turkmenistan and the surrounding regions such as Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and the Province of Khorassan. Archeological data places carpet making in the territory of Turkmenistan as early as the 6th century BCE. The remains of a carpet found by archeologists in the 1940's at Altai is two-thousand five hundred years old. It took centuries for these designs to develop, and the decoration of the carpets is extremely original, reflecting stylized articles from the world of nomadic livestock-breeders. Ornaments are geometric, and a love of deep, rich red is an artistic tradition of the carpets. The art of carpet weaving passed from generation to generation, and today one can single out several types of Turkmen carpets, each having distinctive ornamentation. Turkmen are not only famous for their beautiful rugs, but also for their famous Akhal-teke horses. These horses originate from the Turkmen Sahara (Desert) in northeastern Iran and have been used as cavalry mounts and racehorses for thousands of years. The Turkmen tribe live in many sections of Iran. All Turkmen rugs and carpets have geometric patterns. The repeated "Gul" motif is the main indication of Turkmen rugs. The quality of Turkmen rugs and carpets varies. Older rugs (pre-1945) are very good, but some of the newer rugs are dyed with chemicals rather than vegetable dyed. These rugs come in different sizes, but the majority are small (2x3 to 4x6 feet). You can also find mid-sized rugs ranging with dimensions from 4x6 to 8x10 feet up to larger sizes. Dark reds is the dominant color in Turkmen rugs and carpets. You rarely will find blue backgrounds. These rugs and carpets are made of a soft wool and have a thin, tight pile. The warps of the foundation are mostly cotton; the wefts are wool. Weavers in Turkmenistan use Turkish knots. Turkmen rugs are among the finest quality tribal rugs.