Prayer rugs

An antique prayer rug is most often a pile carpet, used in Islam and placed between the ground and the worshipper for cleanliness during the Islamic prayer. Prayer rugs have a prayer niche, a mihrab, at the end of the carpet and this mihrab must point toward Mecca during the prayer.

Anatolian

An antique Kum Kapi rug with metal brocade, Istanbul around 1910, “Sultan’s Head Prayer” design.(Bukowskis December 2020)
Anatolian rug, Mucur area, central Anatolia, early 20th century, 4ft. 1in. x 2ft. 10in. 1.25m. x 0.86m. (Netherhampton Salerooms 16 September 2020)
“Transylvanian” antique prayer rug, so called “Siebenbürger Teppich”, Ottoman Empire 17th. century. (Exhibitor Hans Homm at the Antique Rug and Textile Show 2009)
18th century Ladik prayer rug found in the Serafettin Mosque in Konya.(Vakiflar Hali Museum, Istanbul)
17th century Ladik rug from a former exhibition at The Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest.(ICOC Symposium in Prague)

Caucasian

Fachralo Kazak Prayer Rug, Caucasus, 1880, 4 ft. 3 in. x 3 ft. 10 in. (Skinner 26 April 2020)
Dagestan prayer rug second half 19th century. 136 x 110 cm. (Nagel 23 October 2020)
A dated antique Marasali rug, Caucasus.  Dated 1303. 19th century. 154 x 107 cm. (Bruun Rasmussen September 2012)
Prayer Shirvan 4´3X5´5 (Exhibitor Ali Aydin at the Antique Rug and Textile Show 2009)

Kurdish

Kurdish prayer rug. Bingöl, East Anatolia circa 1875. Collection of Sonny Berntsson. (Dedicated to research on Anatolian rugs)

Persian

Tabriz rug 19th century. (Tapis Emir at Sartirana Textile Show 2007)
KIRMAN LAVER PRAYER RUG, SOUTH EAST PERSIA approximately 212 by 134cm; 6ft. 11in., 4ft. 4in.circa 1900. (Sothebys 8 October 2014)

Balouch

Taimani  rug, 100 X 144 cm., circa 1880. (Galerie ArabesQue at ARTS 2012)
Baluch rug 113 x 71 cm circa 1900 (David Sorgato at Sartirana Textile Show 2010)

Turkmen

LOT 11. A BESHIR PRAYER RUG, MIDDLE AMU DARYA REGION, CIRCA 1800. (Christies 8 April 2014)
Beshir prayer rug. (Photo courtesy Christies, The prayer rug – a unity of symbol and ritual by Elmira Gyul)

East Turkestan

A KHOTAN SAF East Turkestan, Mid-19th Century having three prayer niches. 6 ft. 9 in. x 3 ft. 3 in. (Christies June 2004)

Uzbek

A second half 19th century Bokhara Saf Fragment. , Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Emirate of Bokhara. Dimensions 147 x 209 cm. (Rippon Boswell 31 May 2014)