How to identify prayer rugs and prayer kilims

 

Antique prayer rugs  and kilims were borne out of a specific purpose for the Islamic faith. However, we favor the hypothesis that the mihrab predates Islam and symbolizes the sacred mountain, a concept present in all mythologies. The various representations of the motif would then be progressive adaptations influenced by contact with new cultures.

The primary indicator of a prayer rug is the “Mihrab” – a niche motif woven into the upper end of the rug that indicates where the devotee places one’s head during his five time a day prayer. The “mihrab” design in rugs is intended as a replica of the “qibla,” an archway in the wall of every Mosque that denotes the direction of Mecca, indicating where each practitioner must be oriented towards when they begin prayer.

 

 

The sizes of prayer rugs are also quite specific. Ranging usually from 125 to slightly larger than  170 cms (2.5 x 4 ft to  4 x 5-½ ), carpets woven for this purpose were kept small for practical purposes. Since practitioners were required to pray five times a day every day, prayer rugs needed to be compact enough for travel and light enough to carry great distances as necessary.

 

Some prayer rugs include a pitcher to remind the devoted to wash before prayer, or small areas denoting where to put one’s hands during prayer. Stars are used to depict the heavenly world that human beings are one a part of.  But these specific ornamentations were not a requirement, instead they are the defining features of the particular weaver,who would often include motifs from the village or tribe they were part of, as well as patterns that are entirely imaginative.

 

Prayer rugs have come to occupy a level of esteem and desirability amongst knowledgeable collectors. Many believe that prayers rugs are the weaver’s most personal creations, as they were woven for themselves or family members.