Antique Anatolian Prayer Rug – Late 19th / early 20th century – Western Anatolia

Dimensions: 60 × 100 cm (23.62″ × 39.37″). Measurements exclude fringes. Date: Late 19th – early 20th century (circa 1880–1920). The carpet still bears the seals of the Istanbul customs.

Materials: Warp: cotton. Weft: cotton. Pile: wool.

Hand‑knotted with the Turkish/Ghiordes symmetrical knot (durable double knot distinctive of Ottoman production). This carpet was used as a wall hanging. In good condition – used, with small signs of aging.

Prayer rug with a central mihrab field, featuring a vertical trilobed niche — a distinctive element of Ottoman seccade rugs. The field shows a burnished, purplish tone, likely mellowed and patinated over time. The niche is topped by a suspended lamp or a stylized symbolic motif, a feature frequently found in Anatolian prayer rugs. The multiple borders are typical of carpets produced for the urban Istanbul market, where floral and geometric patterns were blended under the influence of major Anatolian weaving schools and court‑style models.

Prayer rugs of this type were commonly woven in Western Anatolia and sold through Istanbul’s major markets, including the Grand Bazaar, which historically functioned as a key distribution center for Ottoman rugs

m26