How To Identify Kurdish Prayer Rugs

Often caucasian rugs also show stylized hands on both sides of the mihrab to indicate where the hands are placed during prayer.

How to identify kurdish prayer rugs. Kurdish rugs are rugs woven by the kurdish people in the middle east predominantly the larger kurdistan region including the eastern part of turkey near the taurus mountains northern iraq southernmost caucasus armenia and north western iran. This colorful kurdish prayer rug was woven in eastern anatolia north of the syrian border region. Renowned for its finely woven prayer kilims rugs often decorated with tree of life obruk also produces cicims with the geometric forms medallions banded designs and interconnecting diamonds of turkish kilim rug. It is in fact rather sewn onto the rug after the rug is completed.

The rug was made with exceptionally lush soft wool in keeping with the best of these kurdish pieces which are sometimes known as ïyoruk í the mihrab niche was dyed rose pink with either imported cochineal or a local east anatolian beetle known as araarat kermes. Lamps for example recall the lamps of mosques and the comb and water pitcher are reminders that the muslim is required to wash his hands and comb his beard before prayer. This is a no brainer for internet savvy shoppers. Take a closer look at the part where the fringe is attached to the body of the rug.

A prayer rug is characterized by a niche at one end representing the mihrab in every mosque a directional point to direct the worshipper towards mecca. First it is symbolized by the presence of a mihrab which is a semicircular niche in the mosque s walls which always indicates qibla or the direction of mecca s kaaba from the region. If you can see that is has been sewn to the rug then you know the rug is genuine. Searching and shopping for fine antique rugs online.

When referring to kurdish rugs within the rug industry one is referring to those made within iranian kurdistan. The mihrab pattern in turkish carpets is often modified and may consist of a single double or vertically or horizontally multiplied niche. Searching and finding that one special rug that specific antique carpet that captures your heart is possible. Shirvan prayer rug 1890.

Shopping for fine antique carpets or decorative rugs online should be easy. In machine made rugs the fringe is not created during the manufacturing process. But that said not all rug dealers make finding the perfect antique oriental rugs easy. An authentic muslim prayer mat is characterized by several things that distinguish it from ordinary mats.

Prayer rugs are often decorated with religious symbols that serve the worshiper as aids to memory. The holy village of qum qom in southern iran is noted for their silk rugs with many used for daily prayers because of their lightness of weight and portability. Quite often in village prayer rugs we come across pictures of male figures and horses confirming the fact that religious bans on the depiction of living beings were largely ignored by the people even when making objects for religious worship.