Publication Date
Circa 1500
Publication Place
-
Museum of Technical Industries
Subject
Hand-knitted wool in many shades of colour.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الطول: 162 سم؛ العرض: 120 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
KGM 1888,30
Record ID
object;ISL;de;Mus01;28;ar
Library Location
Museum of Islamic Art
Date
Circa 1500
Notes
The drawings on this carpet indicate that it is a prayer rug, as the inner field is surrounded by a drawing of an arc-shaped mihrab with a red floor. Before the mihrab, there is a view of a stylized water basin from above, from which emerges a tree with delicate, abstract branches bearing green leaves. In the middle of the tree is a smaller jug with an ear and a mesh fabric on it. It is possible that this jug is a reference to the sixth verse of Surat Al-Ma’idah, which mentions the obligatory ablution before prayer. In the folds of the arch of the mihrab are visible braids of eight stars on a green ground. Above the mihrab is a square field filled with palm trees and cypresses. The inner field is surrounded by two frames; The narrower frame is filled with decorations of clouds in the form of bands. This shape of clouds is a well-known scene since the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in Ottoman art and has its origins in China. On this carpet, yellow bands of clouds are arranged on a red ground. As for the wide textile strip of the carpet, it is decorated with a continuous floral braid in the form of branches on a light green background. The symbolism of this carpet is evident in the connection between the view of the mihrab, Madjana al-Firdaws, which is apparently indicated by the basin of the spring, and the tree drawn on the carpet. Paradise, which is described as a wonderful, lush garden, is what is promised to Muslim believers in several places in the Qur’an. The believer will be returned to this paradise and will enjoy gardens, beautiful rivers, wonderful plants, and nymphs. References in many places mention to us prayer rugs that were made in Cairo, but this rug is the only rug that has remained preserved since the Mamluk era. Its particular importance is evident in the combination of Mamluk scenes with scenes from Ottoman art, which suggests that it dates around the year 1500 or shortly after that. Mamluk carpets also appear in Italian paintings dating back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and are mentioned in many references. At that time, trade was thriving between Mamluk Cairo and Italy.
Sample Text
Annette Hagedorn “Prayer rug” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;de;Mus01;28;ar
